The Secret
by Tia Evans
Summary: NOW AU: COMPLETE! Another Severitus Challenge! Lily and James kept a secret from everyone about Harry. But what does one Severus Snape have to do with it? HPGW RWHG PROLOGUE AND CHAP. 1 REVISED!
1. Prologue the brilliant plan

Okay! First of all I would like to say that I do NOT own any of this! The characters and story and everything else that has to do with Harry Potter (which is everything in this story) belongs to the one and only J.K. Rowling Also the Severitus Challenge (of course) is all thanks to Severitus.

And so starts the story:

The Secret

Prologue

The shadows danced off the wall of the dark alley eerily as a young woman leaned against it heavily. Her damp red hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat, her green eyes dulled with sadness instead of the sparkle that once shone there. Lily Potter shivered amongst the cool October air. She had done something unforgivable. Yes, the once prefect and Head-Girl at Hogwarts had done something wrong…very wrong.

She had cheated on her husband.

Lily still didn't know why exactly she had done it, she just had. One moment she had been at the Three Broomsticks with her old school-friend, Severus Snape and next, she had woken up in bed, naked.

At first, she had thought that Severus had drugged her or something due to her memory-lose of the previous night but…but.. She shook her head to clear it, her red hair flying in a mass of curls. Why _wouldn't_ Severus do that? She hadn't seen him since graduation, after all. Lily mentally chided herself. How could she even think of Severus doing something like that?

Lily had known Severus for nine years, ever since she had been eleven. They hadn't really been that good of friends, him being a Slytherin and her being a muggle-born but in their sixth and seventh year, they had taken a liking to one another. Lily knew that Severus wasn't a bad person; he had just made a mistake. An, unfortunately, rather big mistake driven by pressure from his friends and family, but a mistake that he wished he could take back. She knew how much her old friend had so regretted the horrible choice to become a Death Eater.

But Severus had been only sixteen and with the persuasion of his parents, with their threat to disown him (or kill him) and the worry of his housemates abandoning him (or kill him), what else would he have done?

Of course, his family then got rather mad at Severus for conversing with Lily in their later years, even if she was a Ravenclaw, the only house Slytherins even remotely got along with, she was still a 'filthy mudblood.'

She could clearly remember the endless nights after her friend's initiation; he would meet her in the dead of night, when his other 'friends' weren't around, pale and shaken after a recent Death Eater meeting. He'd been so closed up after the first meeting, having endured a Cruciatus Curse for the very first time, and Lily had had to brew a Post-Cruciatus Potion, since he outright refused to believe that Dumbledore wouldn't turn him into the Ministry. And after all the meetings he had in his last two years at Hogwarts, well, she could brew a Post-Cruciatus in her sleep. Her lips twitched despite the circumstances as she remembered her Hogwarts days; how stubborn Severus had been! Even after he had become a spy for Dumbledore, he never went to Poppy.

But finally, after being forced to kill a muggle boy, he had poured his heart out to her, and slowly, slowly began to trust Dumbledore enough to turn himself in.

Lily really didn't know the true reason as to why Severus had finally turned himself in, except that whatever he had been forced to do, it had scared the shit out of him, and made him violently ill. She could remember that night so clearly.

Severus had stumbled blindly into their usual meeting place, the Room of Requirement, over an hour late and more ashen then she had ever seen him. But before she could have welcomed him, he had shoved her aside and headed for the toilet, which had appeared only moments before, to empty his stomach. She remembered the flutter of fear she had felt in the pit of her stomach as she had stared at her usually indifferent and collected friend. And Severus had cried that night. It was the first time she had ever seen him cry before, and probably the first time he ever _had_ cried.

Lily shivered. In her last years at Hogwarts, she had somehow felt connected to Severus, even when she had fallen in love with James Potter, and had known that whenever Severus was concerned or afraid, that she should be too. He had been her best friend, something as a mix between a twin and a soul mate, though not in a romantic sort of way.

But, why? Why did Severus have to hurt her so?

What had happened that night? James had been on an assignment for the Order at that time and she had been left alone when Severus had owled her, asking her to meet him at the Three Broomsticks for dinner. He had been…….strange, almost as if he had just walked out of a muggle cinema with that dazed, confused look on his face. She should have known something was wrong with him, and Lily frantically searched her memory in any recollection of leaving Severus alone for him to slip something in her drink. She couldn't recall…..no, wait! She had went to the lavatory that one time…

Lily took a deep breath and put her face in her heads, trying to fight the sobs that were rising up from within her. _'Oh, why, Severus, why?_' Carefully, she slide down into sitting position and tried to collect her thoughts.

There had to have been something wrong with him. Severus wouldn't have….would he? What if he had tricked Dumbledore and was really for the dark side?

She shook her head furiously. _'Get it together Lily!' _her inner voice snapped, and she took a deep breath, struggling to control her trembling. _'You have a baby to think about now, even if it isn't James's.'_

Her thoughts reverberated through her head and she let out a frustrated scream, collapsing to the ground and sinking her nails into the hard soil, scratching vainly at it, searching for something, anything, to take her frustration out on.

'_Life is tough, Lily,' _she remembered her mother telling her on her graduation day. But back then she had been so flushed with happiness, glowing with pride at receiving valedictorian and a special award for Charms as well as being voted the kindest girl in her class. And she had been in love, fresh with ideas of how she was going to spend the rest of her life with James. Oh, the dreams she had had back then! To lead a successful career alongside her husband and then to settle down and raise children together, watching them mature, growing old together.

But reality had given her a hard smack no matter how well she had prepared, starting with her parents' murder not even a week after graduation, leading up to her sister's eternal hatred with the blame of their parents' death weighing heavily upon her…

'_They're dead, Lily! Dead! All because you had to be a freak! All because you had to go to that freakish school!'_ Petunia's voice echoed through her ears. _'You stay away from me, freak! I _hate _you! And you're not going to get Vernon and I killed like you did our parents!'_

She hadn't seen Petunia since then. While they hadn't been the closest of sisters, they certainly hadn't hated each other. Lily knew she had been jealous but Petunia's true hatred was fueled by the fact that their parents had been attacked by Death Eaters because Lily was supposed to have visited them that day, but had canceled plans at the last minute.

Petunia hadn't even come to her wedding.

But she was right, it was all Lily's fault. Her fault that she just _had_ to go to Hogwarts, just _had _to experience the wonderful world of magic, just _had_ to get engaged to James Potter, whose family were well-known activists in the war….

Lily scrubbed furiously at her swollen cheeks. _'You don't regret it,'_ her inner voice said, and she agreed, hating herself for it. _'Your parents would have gladly given their lives to give you this opportunity.'_

Lily took out an emerald green handkerchief and dabbed her eyes carefully.

'_Life is tough, Lily.'_ She thought of the full-blown war that she had stepped into the moment her and her classmates had left the safety of Hogwarts, of the confusion with Severus, of James's hatred of her old best friend and what her husband would do if he found out she was pregnant with 'Snivellus's' child, and most of all, she thought of her future baby she now carried.

What would become of him? Would it even be a him? Would he be great? Would he make the same mistakes his parents had made? Would his mother's husband hate him?

So very many questions about the baby she carried, so many complications. But….she couldn't help but feel awed, amazed that there was a little someone growing inside of her. There was a _person_ in her! Someone who was going to grow up and make himself/herself a s_omebody_. She had _life_ inside of her.

Would his own father want him?

Lily paused at the last question as she recalled a conversation she had shared with Severus years ago.

"_Tons of children. _Tons_! With a big house and a large yard for them to run around in,"_ Lily had said toward the end of their seventh year, her eyes glazed with dreams of living a wonderful, flawless life with James. Severus snorted. _"Sentimental woman,"_ he had muttered under his breath. _"If I ever have a child,_" he paused to take a breath. _"It _better _not be a girl." "And what if it is?"_ Lily had countered. _"Are you just going to give her up? Plus, little boys can be a handful too." _ Severus had fallen into silence and Lily had known that he was reminiscing of his own neglectful father before admitting finally. _"I will be lucky if I even have a child."_

Somehow she felt confidant, a rush of tranquility. Yes. Severus will want this child. He would make a good father, giving his son or daughter everything that his father never gave him. Including love.

Lily's lips managed to curl into a small, hopeful smile, before it faded as a shadow of thought filtered into her mind.

Voldemort.

Severus was a Death Eater, a spy. He couldn't have a child with a muggle-born. He'd be killed for sure.

Voldemort.

She hated that name! _Hated_ it! The name that brought such hopelessness and sadness to a world of people, just hoping to survive with their family.

'_This is what happens when someone is unloved,'_ she thought bitterly though her bitterness was directed not at the Dark Lord, but at the world itself. The world had morphed Tom Riddle into Lord Voldemort, the world was a cruel, cold place, something that a little orphan boy who was abnormally powerful but regretfully discriminated against because of his blood, could never hope to find his way in.

Voldemort.

She felt pity for the monster. This was the product of the wonderful world they lived in. And because of the cold, uncaring government they had, millions of people, muggle and magical alike, had been brutally killed.

Lily sighed and slowly stood up, regaining her composure, her hand now wrapped around her abdomen. As much as it pained her to do this, she couldn't tell Severus. Not now at least. Not until he was safe enough for him. She would tell him, maybe once he was relieved of his spying duties or the war died down a bit. But not now. She had a child to think about now.

James….

'_I have to tell him,'_ was her first thought. James would understand……eventually. He loved her. He always had. It was just Severus that she was worried about him killing.

She'd tell James, but not everything. One day, once the war died down a bit and Severus knew, she'd tell him everything, but not now.

She had a child to think about now.

Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had to protect her baby. Somehow, someway, she had to. _'He can be James's child,'_ her inner voice said. _'He is, after all, your husband and you two can have children together. It would make sense.' _

Swallowing, Lily stared down at her still flat stomach.

_Life._

'_I have to do this.'_

"Well, then, baby," Lily whispered to her stomach, tears forming in her eyes once again. "How'd you like to be James's child for a while? Just a little while, and then you'll meet your real daddy." She swiped at the tears and rasped in a choked voice, "Just for a little while, baby, I promise, only a little while."

'_Life is tough, Lily.'_

Lily stared up into the heavens as a soft rumbling of thunder broke the silence followed by the gentle pattering of rain starting to fall. Lily stood there, out in the open street and closed her eyes as the rain soaked her, savoring the cool precipitation that numbed her entire body.

'_I know, Momma.'_

A/N Okay, so this is the revised version because the original wasn't really that good. Tell me how it is. R&R


	2. Chapter one The worst summer

The scratching of a quill was the only sound that split the silence of the night. It was persistent, adamant, steadily continuing with no sign of slowing. The owner, a rather short and scrawny raven-haired boy, was currently sitting at his desk, hunched over a rather long piece of parchment that already looked as if it had a novel on it.

Harry Potter paused for a moment, taking time to flex his fingers before they grew numb and he wasn't able to work anymore. Sighing, he glanced over his half-finished essay.

Human Transfiguration is among the most complex branches of magic. Unlike standard Transfiguration, Human Transfiguration not only requires the release of magic, but also, the wizard must weave his/her magic with the spell and will the subject's magic to transform. Research has shown that Human Transfiguration is much easier when done on oneself instead of another witch or wizard, as you do not have to will your own magic to follow your command……

Harry was interrupted from his readings as a small breeze from his open window fluttered his parchment. Blinking tiredly, the young wizard furiously rubbed his hooded eyes and forced himself to finish the last foot of his essay. It was almost three in the morning and he desperately needed sleep if he ever wanted to finish the list of chores Aunt Petunia would give him. But he refused to sleep. Sleeping meant nightmares, and nightmares meant Sirius….

Harry swallowed the rising lump in his throat and angrily turned back to his essay, scanning his textbook for any other useful information. He brutally shoved the thought of his late godfather out of his mind.

What was next? He had already finished his Herbology and Charms homework (though he was purposefully avoiding his Potions'). He did anything to keep himself busy. Being busy meant that he didn't have to think of Sirius or the revelation of the prophecy.

Kill or be killed….

Harry snorted and pushed that thought out of his mind as well. At least he didn't have to worry about not being busy during the day. It was the nights that got to him. During the day, Vernon and Petunia gave him a rather long list of chores, all of them expected to be finished before Vernon got home. Harry was reminded briefly of his second year all over again…without Dobby of course. But despite the small similarities between his the summer after his first year and this summer, it was different, much different.

He stretched, wincing as he stretched the fresh bruises Vernon had inflicted upon him only hours before. Harry closed his eyes and focused on how summer had been, anything to avoid thinking about Sirius.

Vernon had been furious with him when they had gotten home, Harry knew. Even Petunia had thrown her husband wary glances but his uncle had remained strangely silent for the first few weeks into summer. He had been forced to continue his chores, which he hadn't had to do since the summer after his first year. In a way, Harry had been rather grateful that they had given him something to do, even if it was to be their personal house elf. Not that the Dursleys knew of Sirius's death.

But life had gone on for Harry, much as he had wanted it to cease. He continued doing his chores in a dead, zombie sort of way, finding that he held absolutely no feeling toward whatever he did.

He received letters from Ron and Hermione ("You-Know-Who's lying low now, mate. Mum's begged Dumbledore to let you come stay with us but he keeps saying you're safer with the muggles."), he had gotten the Daily Prophet, this time actually reading the thing ("At least Minister Fudge has finally stopped posting lies about you and Dumbledore, Harry. I don't think he will be in office much longer, nor will that horrid Umbridge woman."), and he sent the once-every-three-days letter to the Order.

Unfortunately, his strenuous, yet composed schedule wasn't meant to last the whole of the summer, starting with three days ago.

With nightmares of Sirius's death still plaguing him, and the constant strain of the prophecy hovering over him, Harry had found himself exhausted, barely able to finish the tasks his Aunt gave to him. He had watched with slight fear as Vernon grew increasingly irate with him for not finishing his chores on time until the man had finally snapped when Harry had stayed in his room to sulk the whole day after a particularly painful nightmare.

Harry never even saw it coming. One moment, he had been in his bed, trying to catch a little shuteye and desperately shoving the horrid nightmare he had had the night before from his head when the door had banged open and Vernon had strode in looking enraged.

"How dare you laze around while your Aunt slaves over a hot stove to put food in your ungrateful stomach? How dare you disregard the small chores we've asked of you?" the man had roared, steadily growing red.

And Harry, being exhausted and grumpy had sluggishly replied, "By asking me to do these chores you give me the freedom of choice, you know."

The moment the words had left his lips, Harry knew he was in trouble. Vernon had stared at him for a moment before striding over to the bed, grabbing Harry's shoulder in a death grip, and slamming his meaty fist into Harry's face.

Harry frowned at the memory and sighed, looking hopelessly down at his essay. He remembered clearly how panicked Vernon had been after the first blow had reigned, evidently thinking that Sirius was going to come bursting in the room to turn him into a slug at any moment. He had then dazedly told him, "You will tell that godfather of yours that you're being treated right or you'll regret it, freak!" in a sorry attempt to regain his composure but made no further move to hurt Harry with fear of Sirius.

Sirius…who was dead.

Harry's heart gave another throb. Only a few hours after the first punch, an owl had arrived for, surprisingly, Vernon, and, after the man had ranted furiously at Harry, had finally read it only to find out (from Albus Dumbledore himself) that Sirius Black was indeed dead.

"'Mr. Potter has suffered a terrible trauma involving the death of his godfather, Sirius Black. If you would be so kind to insure that he does not leave the house and mind his mental state we would be most grateful,'" Vernon had read in a trembling voice before turning his piggy eyes to Harry, who almost cowered.

"So, decided to leave out that little part did you, boy?" Vernon had hissed before he had thrown himself into a bout of rage, which he seemed to deem fit to take out on Harry in a rather unpleasant way right in front of Petunia and Dudley.

He shivered at the reminisce that had happened only a few nights ago. He recalled the look of shock on his Aunt's face even as she had disguised it expertly and resumed eating her breakfast, completely ignoring his pleas for help.

Harry had always been verbally abused by the Dursleys, degraded with words of what a disgusting creature he was, put down because he was the son of his mother, and hated because of something he didn't understand until he was eleven. Dudley's gang had always beaten him up but his Aunt and Uncle had never outright abused him before. Not like what Vernon had done, out of cold-blooded loathing with fury and hatred enough to cause him to bleed and actually enjoy the sight of it and the sound of his cries.

Harry closed his eyes and let his head slump against the desk. He rubbed his eyes again, absently noting that he didn't need to wear his glasses anymore. Many things had been changing during the summer. His hair had grown at an even more rapid speed then usual, falling just below his ears, though Harry was sure it still had more then a few inches to go. He was paler as well, though he didn't know if it was because he didn't go outside as much. His mind wandered as unconsciousness started to overcome him.

The last thought in his mind was that he desperately hoped he wouldn't dream of Sirius tonight….

&&&&&&&&&

Morning came far too soon for Harry. He found himself stretching stiff muscles littered with bruises and felt as if his eyes were made of cement. Nevertheless, he awoke to his aunt's screeches as usual and slowly, painfully limped downstairs to help with breakfast.

"Set the table!" she snapped from the stove, where the bacon was sizzling. Harry complied, his movements automatic and time-consuming.

Aunt Petunia dished the bacon into a large plate and turned to set it on the table when she gasped, nearly dropping the bacon.

"What?" Harry asked blankly. Petunia was staring at him as if he'd grown three heads.

"What the hell have you done to yourself, boy?" she snarled, her pale eyes narrowed in familiar anger. "What have you done to your hair? And your glasses; you haven't broken them again have you?"

Harry's hand automatically reached for his hair at his aunt's comment. He felt surprise well up in him as he touched rather straight, tamed hair that was now past his shoulders. It was impossible! A person's hair didn't just grow that much overnight! And how could he see so well?

"I-I don't…"

"Change yourself back now! If Vernon sees that your doing that...abnormal stuff here then he'll be in a bad mood all day and I don't feel like putting up with him!" Petunia hissed, looking highly insulted.

But before Harry could respond, the telltale heavy footsteps were heard trudging down the stairs. Harry felt an involuntary shiver travel up his spine. Petunia pursed her lips, but turned back to where she started making eggs, obviously knowing what was about to take place.

Vernon entered the kitchen and immediately purpled. "What the hell did you do to yourself freak!" he barked. "How dare you use that freak nonsense in our house after all we've done for you!"

"But, Uncle Vernon, I didn't-" He was cut off as he fist connected with his jaw and he stumbled back, smacking his head on the table. One of the dishes fell off and shattered on the floor.

"See what you did!" Vernon roared. "More money wasted on you, you damned freak!" He drew back his leg and kicked Harry in the ribs before the young wizard had time to regain his bearings.

Harry let out a yelp as the foot connected with his ribs and bit his lip to keep from howling. He reacted in defense mode, and curled into a ball to prevent Vernon from cracking any more ribs. Surprisingly, the man halted his assault and when Harry cautiously peeked up, Vernon was staring at the calendar on the wall.

"Here," he said gruffly, thrusting a paper and pen on the floor next to Harry. "Tell them….tell them we're treating you right and you're fine." He straightened his suit that had gotten rumpled during his attack and sat heavily in a chair, pointedly ignoring the fact that Harry hadn't gotten up yet.

"And make sure to say that you miss your….godfather as well," Vernon grunted lazily, helping himself to breakfast. Harry swallowed painfully and struggled to pull the pen and paper to him, though his wrist was aching horribly. He looked up at his aunt, who walked by him to set the eggs on the table, sparing him only a single glance.

Harry almost let out a sigh of relief. All letter days were a bit easier then others, though it was only morning. Carefully he wrote the message, taking caution to make sure that his hand didn't shake too much.

'Hey guys,

I'm fine, you can say. Mostly I've been in my room doing my homework since the Dursleys won't let me out of the house. Haven't been getting much sleep lately, but hopefully the dreams of Sirius will fade a little like the ones with Cedric did.

Hope to see you soon,

Harry'

Short and simple, easy enough.

Vernon snatched the paper from him as he set the pen down and scanned the letter.

"Fine," he grunted. "Get that ruddy bird to deliver it and don't forget boy."

Harry nodded. Hedwig was out hunting, but he knew she'd be back today. She always came back on the letter days.

"Where's Dudley?" Vernon asked Petunia.

"Out with his friends, dear," Petunia replied breezily as she settled herself in a seat, trying not to look perturbed at the sight of her bloody nephew still lying on the floor.

'Happy Birthday to me,' Harry thought dully to himself as he went upstairs to start on cleaning Dudley's room. He felt his heart throb as he realized that neither of his friends had even sent him a letter for his birthday.


	3. Chapter two Letters, Gifts, and Rescues

Hey more reviews! Thanks again to all you who reviewed and I will try to make the chapters longer also (Diana Negumi).  
  
Disclaimer- once again.......not mine *sob*  
  
Okay on with the story.....  
  
Chapter two: Letters, Gifts, and Rescues.  
  
#Begin Dream Sequence#  
  
He recognized the place as soon as he 'arrived.' The same ragged veil was thrown across the archway, the same giant cavernous room with the same people. He was at the Department of Mysteries once again, as he often visited the horrid place in his dreams. Once again he was in the same position he had been in on that fateful night mere months ago.  
  
He was standing on the stone steps of the Death Chamber, Neville beside him. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as he looked down to see Sirius and Bellatrix dueling near the veil.  
  
'No!' Harry tried to yell. His voice seemed to echo throughout the cavernous room but no one seemed to hear him.  
  
He saw his Godfather, laughing at his cousin. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled tauntingly at her as a jet of red light flew over him, missing him by inches. Harry tried to run over to Sirius, tried to save him but he couldn't move his feet, as if they were stuck to the floor by some force. 'No!' he tried to yell once again but to no avail. He knew what was coming next.  
  
Harry watched for the eighth time as the second jet of light hit his Godfather in the chest. He watched as Sirius' eyes widened in shock, as he was thrown back away from Bellatrix, his back going into a perfect arch, and finally he tumbled through the veil.....  
  
#End Dream Sequence#  
  
"NO!" Harry yelped as he fell off his desk and onto the floor with a dull 'thump.' Harry sat there, panting as he tried unsuccessfully to recover from the horrible nightmare. He rubbed the place between his eyes tiredly (much like Snape did) and slowly got up off the floor, wincing as he rubbed the bruises on his back, which had been hit by the desk when he had fallen off his chair.....  
  
'What happened' he asked himself. He had been reading his Potion's book (for about the fiftieth time) because he had already finished his summer homework and was bored when he had fallen asleep.....  
  
Harry groaned as he realized that he probably had been yelling his Godfather's name in his sleep again like he always did when he had that nightmare. Harry flinched slightly and froze, waiting for the expected roar of fury from Vernon (he couldn't bare to call the man his uncle anymore) but it didn't come.  
  
Harry let out a sigh of relief as he remembered that it was a week day and Vernon most likely was out job-hunting. Dudley was probably out with his friends beating up smaller children or stealing food from the store down the street. Which meant that Aunt Petunia was the only one home, which really wasn't that bad. His aunt had, surprisingly, been a lot more well..........nicer since Vernon started beating him and for some odd reason, Harry felt like his aunt didn't like Vernon beating him but that was impossible, wasn't it?  
  
Harry had gotten a few letters from Ron and Hermione over the summer, which thankfully, didn't leave him in the dark like it had last year.  
  
Voldemort was, apparently, laying low for a while now that the rest of the wizarding world had finally acknowledged his return. He definitely wasn't attacking anyone that was for sure, since Harry hadn't had any visions. Of course, now he was having nightmares about the night at the Department of Mysteries, just when he had stopped having nightmares about Cedric.  
  
Harry blamed himself for Sirius' death. Not Dumbledore, not Snape....himself. If he just would have practiced Occlumency or listened to Hermione about going back and talking Snape into giving him lessons again then Voldemort wouldn't have fed him that false vision and he wouldn't have tried to 'be the hero' once again and Sirius would still be alive! He hated his life....  
  
Well, Harry had learned his lesson, he cleared his mind every night before he fell asleep but it still didn't help him escape the nightmares about Sirius' death...  
  
Harry checked off another day on the calendar he had made that counted down the days to September first and vaguely wondered why Ron and Hermione hadn't sent a card or anything that he usually received at around twelve in the morning on his birthday, which was today. Strange. He usually got his Hogwarts letter, which would contain his OWL results, at that time also.  
  
As if someone had read his thoughts there was suddenly a tapping on his window and Harry turned to see, to his surprise, at least half a dozen owls hovering by his window, he recognized Hedwig among them who had been on delivering his once-every-three-day letter to the Order.  
  
The raven haired boy hurried over to the window and opened it and the owls flew in one-by-one, dropping their letters and packages off before flying out of the window once again. Hedwig and Pig were the last ones to come in and Hedwig dropped her load and flew over to her cage without the usual affection nip as she looked at him strangely. Pig darted around like a furry snitch as he nearly flew into the wall in his excitement of the accomplished delivery. Hedwig clicked her beak in an annoyed way and puffed up disapprovingly as Pig perched himself by her food dish and started to peck at her food.  
  
Harry shook his head, smiling slightly as he stared at the pile of letters and packages before him deciding to start on the familiar ones first. He picked up a letter attached to a package in which he recognized Hagrid's untidy scrawl on.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
Happy Birthday! Can't really say much except I think you'll find this useful. Dumbledore chipped in a bit, so its from both of us. Have any problems with the Dursleys then tell the Order  
  
All the best, Hagrid  
  
Harry smiled slightly at the letter feeling touched that the headmaster was willing to get him a present also. He then carefully picked up the package and nearly dropped it on the bedspread again, it was rather heavy. He undid the flaps of the box and pulled out a stone basin with a see-through lid on it and in it was a swirling silvery liquid. He gasped. It was a pensive. Harry stared at the swirling silver as if hypnotized. This was the answer to his problem. All he had to do was put the memory of when Sirius died in the pensive and he wouldn't have any nightmares. It was perfect. Harry felt a warmth spread through him like never before at the thoughtfulness of the gift. He found a small slip of paper attached to the see-through lid.  
  
It read:  
  
Harry,  
  
To put your memories in this pensive simply put your wand to your temple and think about a memory, then place a hair in the pensive and it will be stored in there. This also does not count as magic so you may use it during your holidays as I am sure you have been experiencing some rather unpleasant dreams. And a very Happy Birthday to you too.  
  
Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore  
  
Harry smiled again and put the pensive aside as he picked up Hermione's.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
Happy Birthday! How has your holidays been? Have you gotten your OWL's yet? I got mine and I got all O's! Mom and Dad are so proud! I am taking NEWT classes in Transfiguration, Charms, Astrology, Herbology, Ancient Ruins, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy, and Potions! I know its going to be hard but I think I might manage. Have you finished your homework yet? Ron is putting his off till the last minuet he can be so immature! Well don't put your off to the last minuet like him! Hope your summer is going alright.  
  
Love From, Hermione  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, typical Hermione always thinking about homework. He then unwrapped her present to find, a book. 'Hogwarts, A History' Harry shrugged, at least he had something else to read now. Next was Ron's letter which was rather short to his surprise.  
  
Hey Harry,  
  
Happy Birthday. How's your summer been mate? Are those muggles treating you alright? If not you could threaten your cousin with one of Fred 'n George's candies. Mom and Dad have tried talking to Dumbledore about letting you come over but he keeps saying your safer with the Dursleys. Look I'm sorry to cut this short but I have to help Ginny, Fred, George, and Mum research spells to unstick........Mrs. Black from the wall............... Have a good holiday and don't let the muggles get you down.  
  
Bye, Ron  
  
PS- Fred, George, and Ginny say hi and happy birthday.  
  
Harry sighed and shook his head. Everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around him whenever anything to do with Sirius was mentioned. He was hurting, yes, but this was getting on his bloody nerves! He unwrapped the gift to see the newest products of Fred and George's shop. They looked delicious but he wasn't taking any chances.... The next was from Professor Lupin.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
Happy Birthday, first of all. Are you all right? Are the Dursleys treating you right? I guess I may be a little worried. I just wanted to tell you one thing though Harry. DO NOT BLAME YOURSELF FOR SIRIUS' DEATH! I know you and I know that your blaming yourself so don't..... I've got good news though, I will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. It appears that Dumbledore convinced most of the parents that I would be safe, so I'm back. I will see you at school and tell me if the Dursleys do anything to hurt you.  
  
Sincerely, Professor Lupin (Remus)  
  
'Well at least that's one good thing to look forward too' he thought idly. He picked up the second to last letter, the Hogwarts letter which was rather thick.  
  
Dear Mr. Potter,  
Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.  
Also your life-time Quidditch ban has been lifted and you will receive your Firebolt after the Welcoming Feast. Your OWL results are enclosed. A list of books for next year is also enclosed.  
  
Yours Sincerely, Professor M. McGonagall Deputy Headmistress  
  
Harry nervously pulled out the next sheet of paper.  
  
Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
Your OWL scores are as followed:  
  
OWL's Year- 1996 Student- Harry Potter School- Hogwarts Headmaster- Albus Dumbledore  
  
Results-  
  
Charms: Practical- Exceeds Expectations Written- Outstanding Overall- Exceeds Expectations  
  
Transfiguration: Practical- Exceeds Expectations Written- Exceeds Expectations Overall- Exceeds Expectations  
  
Potions: Practical- Exceeds Expectations Written- Outstanding Overall- Outstanding  
  
Defense Against the Dark Arts: Practical- Outstanding Written- Outstanding Overall- Outstanding  
  
Astrology: Practical- Acceptable Written- Acceptable Overall- Acceptable  
  
Herbology: Practical- Exceeds Expectations Written- Acceptable Overall- Exceeds Expectations  
  
Care of Magical Creatures: Practical- Exceeds Expectations Written- Acceptable Overall- Exceeds Expectations  
  
Divination: Practical- Poor Written- Acceptable Overall- Acceptable  
  
History of Magic: Written- Acceptable Overall- Acceptable  
  
Number of OWL's received- six out of nine Congratulations Mr. Potter! You have completed the Ordinary Wizarding Levels. Also enclosed is a list of NEWT classes that you will be taking next year.  
  
Yours Sincerely, Professor G. Marchbanks Wizarding Examination Authority  
  
Harry stared, how on earth did he get an O in potions?! Probably because Snape hadn't been constantly breathing down this neck the whole time... He glanced over the results again and smiled, he could actually be an Auror now! And he could finally drop Divination too. He took out the last sheet of paper.  
  
Mr. Potter,  
  
The following classes are the NEWT classes you will be taking next year.  
  
Charms Transfiguration Potions Defense Against the Dark Arts Herbology Care of Magical Creatures (optional)  
  
Sincerely, Professor M. McGonagall Deputy Headmistress  
  
Harry sighed once again and glanced at the last letter before checking the time. It was 9:30. He glanced in the small mirror on his desk and did a double take. Was that him?! No wonder Hedwig had given him such a strange look, he looked like a completely different person.  
  
He was taller, something he hadn't noticed before, he looked as tall as Ron! Maybe even taller! His skin was paler, that was for sure. Not as pale as Malfoy but still, paler then he usually was. His eyes were still the bright emerald green but they seemed slanted almost and were now surrounded by dark lashes, his eyebrows arching slightly above his eyes in a very familiar way. His hair, something he had been amazed that he hadn't noticed, was now past his shoulders and was now straight and silky, curling around the tips. His features were now more sharper then they had been when he had last seen his reflection. His fingers were now long and slender, his knees no longer knobby. He no longer looked like James Potter, he looked like Severus Snape.  
  
Harry felt bile rise up in his throat at the thought, but he looked so much like the greasy-git, though he, Harry, didn't look that greasy and he didn't have his nose (thank the Lord). Harry continued to stare at his new look, he could pass as the potion masters son. 'What if I am his son?!' he asked himself, shivering at the thought. No he was acting stupid now. He snorted, him, Snape's son? Now that was a laugh, he REALLY needed to get a decent nights sleep.  
  
He carefully headed downstairs to see Aunt Petunia sitting at the kitchen table, a pensive expression on her face. "Err...Aunt Petunia" he asked cautiously, his voice sounded deeper.  
  
Her head shot up and she shrieked.  
  
"Who the hell are you?!! Get out of my house you psycho-freak! Get out!" "No, Aunt Petunia its me! Its Harry!" She didn't listen. "Your not Harry! I know what he looks like you don't look anything like him! Out! OUT!!" her voice rose to a surprising volume and Harry winced slightly.  
  
Harry desperately tried to think of a way to prove his Aunt that he was...well...him before his she went on a rampage. How does everyone identify him in the wizarding world?  
  
Wait!  
  
His scar!  
  
Aunt Petunia was now in the process of picking up a frying pan to club him with. "W-wait! I can prove its me!" he quickly lifted up his now curtain-like hair to reveal the lightening bolt shaped scar. Aunt Petunia froze and peered at him closer. "H-Harry?" she whispered. He nodded and she slowly lowered the pan. "How-What did you do to yourself?" He shrugged.  
  
She stared at him for a little bit more before she jumped slightly and said, "You need to go pack your stuff...." He arched an eyebrow (another habit he had recently picked up). "Why?" "Because I said so!!" she snapped but then closed her eyes and took a deep breath as Harry shrank away slightly. "I-I used your owl to-to send a letter to that fre-school and told them to come and get you."  
  
Harry blinked.  
  
"Why?" His Aunt sighed and shook her head. "I may not like you and I may not have liked.........Lily, but I won't let her son get abused.....especially when I know she wouldn't have let any of that happen to Dudley if she was in my situation...." She said that all in a whisper, as if telling a deadly secret.  
  
Harry openly gaped at her but before he could even form a thought about what she had said she murmured, "Now go and get your stuff packed, they said they'd be here to pick you up...." She gestured at the letter on the table that she had been reading.  
  
Harry nodded and hurried upstairs.  
  
He quickly put his books, gifts, parchment, quills, homework, robes, and letters into his trunk, his wand already being in his pocket.  
  
He glanced at the lone unopened letter, laying on his bed, he still didn't know who it was from and he debated on reading it or not.  
  
Harry reached for the letter to read it when a door bell sounded. He sighed and hastily put the letter in his trunk with all the others and hurried downstairs to the door and opened it.  
  
Professor Snape stood there, on his front porch glaring down at him. Harry couldn't help but gape at his professor, for one thing, he was on his porch?!! And for another, he was wearing muggle clothes!!!!!!!! Now that was a laugh!  
  
His professor arched an eyebrow at him questioningly as he cleared his throat.  
  
"Excuse me, but am I right to inquire that this is the Dursley residence?"  
  
The question was spoken politely and Harry had to stifle a laugh, knowing that Professor Snape would go ballistic if he found out that he had been talking on civil terms to the boy-who-lived. Harry would have loved to continue this little charade but he could tell that his professor was getting annoyed and Harry really wanted to get out of here as soon as he could.  
  
"Err...Professor....its me, Harry.." he murmured and to avoid confrontation he immediately pulled up his bangs to reveal the lightening bolt shaped scar. Snape's eyes widened comically as he yelled, "POTTER!!" Snape looked at him up and down. Harry took in the shocked expression his usually emotionless professor wore.  
  
Snape seemed to overcome his shock quickly and hid it behind his usual mask. "Well aren't going to invite me in Potter? Or do you need to call on a servant because your to above it?" he said tauntingly and a smirk appeared across his face as Harry's look of amusement turned to a scowl.  
  
"Oh please come in professor, make yourself at home" sarcasm laced Harry's voice as did a mock bow. Snape sneered. "You'd best watch yourself Potter, you may want to shut that mouth of yours unless you want your house to start the year off with negative house points.." he said softly and strode in the house haughtily.  
  
Snape sneered at the tidiness of the house and turned to Harry. "Well get your things I, unlike you, don't have all day" he said bitingly. Harry rolled his eyes and walked to the kitchen, "Bye, Aunt Petunia" he said quietly to her. She turned and showed him a half-smile. "Bye" she said before turning back to the dishes she had been washing. "I already have all my things 'sir.'" Harry said with mock respect as he walked back to the doorway.  
  
Snape looked as if he were going to say something but instead merely scowled, "Well come on then, hurry up!" he then turned and hurried out the door and had he been wearing robes, Harry was positive they would have been billowing.  
  
(@) Oh...*pant*.....may gosh... That was so long! Nine and a half pages actually! Long enough? Well not all the chapters are going to be this long, I just got really motivated.... I'm not sure if I did the OWL scores right or not either. Also I know that Petunia is kind of OOC but she's not really going to be in the story so......oh well. I tried to make Snape as in character as possible so tell me if he or Harry gets OOC at any point through the story. Whew! Well I hope you guys are happy. Now please R&R!! 


	4. Chapter three Severus' Summer

Okay ya I know I messed up on the OWL thing, I didn't really think there was a particular way to do them so I just did it my way. The important thing mainly is what NEWT classes he will be taking, which was also listed.  
  
Once again thanks to everyone who reviewed!  
  
Disclaimer- I think you know by now....  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter three- Severus' Summer  
  
Severus, unlike Harry, was having a rather peaceful holiday, just the way he liked it, without those sniveling little brats making a racket that always gave him a bloody headache!  
  
And they wondered why he acted like a git all the time.  
  
But he did love Hogwarts. People always got the impression that he hated this place, and didn't want to be here but that was far from the truth. The truth was, was that Hogwarts was his home, and had been his only home ever since he first set foot in the castle, when he had been in his first year at Hogwarts. His mother had died when he had been six, she had been the only person in his family that had loved him. His father had abused him and his mother and it had been one of the main causes of her death. Afterward, his father had remarried to a woman who introduced them to Voldemort, of course, she hadn't been any nicer to Severus then his father had. But his step mother didn't bear any children, so it was up to Severus to uphold the new family tradition, thus leading him to joining Voldemort.  
  
Severus had tried so many times to impress his father, but his father always called him a disappointment and a disgrace to the Snape line. When he had been three, he had learned to read and write, his mother had been proud but his father had brushed it off like it was nothing, he had even started to do magic at a younger age then what was normal for a wizard. When he had been five, he started to read on Dark Arts and when he had been eight, he had practiced them, but still, his father would merely sneer and walk away. By the time Severus had started Hogwarts, he had known more spells and charms then most second years did and he knew all about the Dark Arts, but by then, he had finally given up trying to earn his father's respect. That is, until he was old enough to join Voldemort's ranks and in a last attempt to please his father, he had joined.  
  
How stupid he had been at that age.  
  
It had only been a couple months after he had been initiated that he realized that not only was it pointless to please his father when his father didn't even care about him, but that he had made the biggest mistake of his life.  
  
He had to watch innocent men, women, and children being tortured and killed mercilessly at his own hands. Even now, their screams still haunted him in his sleep.  
  
So after two and a half months of being a Death Eater, he decided to become a spy for Dumbledore. Of course, at first, he had just intended on Dumbledore turning him in to the Ministry, it was what he deserved after all, but Dumbledore being the man that he is, spared him and instead, made him a spy, which he was only to happy to comply to.  
  
You had such a sad childhood......... that's what Albus had always told him but he didn't want the older man's pity. He hated when people pitied him! It was so pointless!  
  
Severus strode down to his precious dungeons, having just had dinner. The castle was so much quieter during the summer, most of the teachers having gone home to their families or going on vacation. He, like Dumbledore, was one of the only ones that stayed over the summer  
  
He had, of course, inherited the Snape Manor when his father had died, but Severus didn't really like to go there much, do to unpleasant memories. The last time he had been there, was when he had transferred all of his things to Hogwarts, when he had first became a teacher, it had been about a year after his father's death.  
  
On the way to his dungeons, Severus nodded to Minerva, who was the only other teacher, besides Albus and himself, which stayed over the summer.  
  
"Severus," she called to him, before he started down the stone steps. He turned back to her. "Albus wishes to speak with you in his office."  
  
Severus sighed but nodded as he changed his direction. The headmaster probably wanted him to go on another mission for the Order. He was completely devoted and faithful to the Order, he just wished that they would at least let him have some holiday.  
  
Teaching those annoying brats should have been enough but he also had to attend Death Eater meetings every once in a while, coming back injured and twitching (after effects of the Crucio curse). He hated it, but he knew that he owed Albus this.  
  
Severus made his way to the stone gargoyle and muttered the password ("Pumpkin Pasties") and walked up the stairs and into the circular office.  
  
"So good of you to be so prompt, Severus," came Dumbledore's wizened voice, he was sitting behind his desk, holding a letter. "What do you need me to do now, Albus?" Severus murmured, rubbing the place between his eyes tiredly. He just wanted to get this thing over so he could go back to his dungeons. Dumbledore sighed and put the letter he had been looking at, down. Severus arched an eyebrow at it. "Who is it from?" "Mr. Potter's aunt, it seems his uncle has been rather......unkind to him since he arrived home."  
  
Severus growled angrily. Of course! Not only does he have to see the big headed, pampered little brat every day of the school year, but now he's ruining his summer! Did the boy get into trouble all the time just to make his life hell?!  
  
"I would like you to take Mr. Potter for the rest of the summer-"  
  
"WHAT!!!" Severus roared leaping to his feet. "Are you mad!!! I want nothing to do with the sniveling little brat!! I hate him, he hates me end of story!!" he took several deep breaths after his rant, which Albus had sat calmly through, a pensive expression on his face.  
  
"Severus, if you do this one thing for me, I promise you wont have to go on any other missions for the order, you'll only have your spying and teaching job, and that's all...." Albus offered. Severus rolled his eyes. "No! And did you forget, headmaster, that I also have to make that bloody potion for Lupin again? He's your golden-boy, you take care of him!"  
  
The headmaster sighed, "Please, Severus, just do this one thing for me....." he pleaded desperately. Severus raised his eyebrows at the pleading tone.  
  
He growled again. The man could be so manipulative when he wanted without even knowing.......  
  
"Fine!" he growled finally and the headmaster smiled instantly the twinkling in his eyes going on full blast. Severus noticed this and immediately snapped, "But don't expect me to get all cuddly with the brat just because Black is gone and he's moping around!"  
  
Dumbledore continued to smile. "Good! I need you to pick him up from his aunt and uncle's as soon as you can and bring him over to the Snape Manor...."  
  
Severus' eyes widened. "Why cant we just stay here?"  
  
Dumbledore sighed, "You know that the Minister doesn't like students staying over the holidays, also the Aurors are coming tomorrow to strengthen the barriers and we don't want to risk anything."  
  
Severus groaned at the thought of returning to his 'home.'  
  
"You will be alright with that, right Severus?" the older wizard asked softly, his blue eyes looking saddened. Severus nodded slowly, "I know I'll have to do it anyway.."  
  
"I would also like you to continue teaching him Occlumency..." Severus groaned again, this was going to be a long summer.......  
  
*****************  
  
Severus sneered at the street of Privet Drive, how he hated his job at times. He was in muggle clothes, of course, as he could already see that the muggles that lived here would judge you by your appearance. How he hated their customs.  
  
His hair was pulled pack into a tight ponytail, he had on black slacks and a black turtleneck, despite the fact that it was summer.  
  
He walked up to the house with a number four on it and rang the doorbell.  
  
He only had to wait a few seconds before the door was pulled open to reveal a tall boy with long, black hair and familiar green eyes. The boy looked remarkably like himself, actually, right down to the arched eyebrows and sharp features.  
  
He arched an eyebrow and asked politely.  
  
"Excuse me, but am I right to inquire that this is the Dursleys residence?"  
  
The boy looked as if he was trying to suppress a laugh and he had resist the urge to sneer. "Err.....Professor...its me, Harry...." The boy then pulled up his bangs to reveal the lighting shaped scar.  
  
Severus' eyes widened as he yelled, "POTTER!!" He looked at the boy up and down. This couldn't be Potter, Potter looked like his father, this boy looked like....well....himself......  
  
Severus quickly overcame his shock with his usual emotionless mask at the boy's amused look. "Well are you going to invite me in Potter? Or do you need to call on a servant because your to above it?" he smirked as Potter scowled. "Oh please come in professor, make yourself at home." He gave a mock bow.  
  
Severus sneered, seething inwardly, "You'd best watch yourself Potter, you may want to shut that mouth of yours unless you want your house to start the year off with negative house points.." he said softly and strode in the house haughtily.  
  
Severus sneered at the tidiness of the house and turned to Potter. "Well get your things I, unlike you, don't have all day" he said bitingly. The boy rolled his eyes and walked to the kitchen for a minuet before walking back to the doorway.  
  
"I already have all my things, 'sir'" Potter said with mock respect.  
  
Severus gritted his teeth angrily. How dare the brat! He was giving up his summer just because the boy's aunt didn't feel like putting up with him! He turned to the boy to tell him so, but thought better of it and scowled before snapping, "Well come on then, hurry up!" and hurried out the door.  
  
*****************  
  
Harry and Severus landed with a soft 'thump' in front of the Snape Manor. Severus tucked the portkey back into his pocket as Harry shook his head slightly to ward off unpleasant memories.  
  
"Hurry up, Potter!" Severus snapped harshly at the boy as they made their way to the entrance of the mansion.  
  
"Put your things here, a house elf shall bring them up to your room later," Severus commanded as they walked into the entrance hall of the Manor.  
  
Harry looked around the gigantic hall in amazement. It was beautiful. The entrance way broke off into a huge room that was dimly light with a large chandelier emitting the giant room/hall in an orange glow. There were three staircases descending from three different upper corridors, one directly in front, one to the left, and one to the right. There was a large photograph of a very stern looking man that looked a lot like Snape hanging on the corridor wall in front of them, whom Harry suspected was one of the first of the Snape's.  
  
Severus cleared his throat loudly and Harry realized that he had been gawking, his mouth hanging open slightly.  
  
"Well what did you expect? All silver and green with bones laying all over the place and snakes painted on the walls?" Severus snapped and Harry jumped. "Err...no I just didn't expect it to look so...so....." "...homely? Just because the dungeons are dark and musty doesn't mean I have to live like that!" the potion master snapped obviously in a bad mood already. Harry sighed, had he done something wrong already?! He didn't really think that Snape was the person who would hit him, but Harry had thought that Vernon wouldn't hit him, but he had...... Both Vernon and Snape had bad tempers and he didn't like them that much but he wouldn't have thought that Vernon would have hit him.....he wondered if it was only a matter of time before Snape got so annoyed with him that he would too....... Harry was snapped out of his thoughts as his professor and temporary 'guardian' began to speak again.  
  
"To the left upper corroder, are the rooms. Your room is across from mine.." at this Severus sneered, "...apparently, Albus is afraid that you'll have nightmares.." he drawled as if it wasn't important. "But don't you dare set a foot in my room under any circumstances, understand?!" Harry nodded. "There is a bathroom connected to your room. You need not go into any of the other rooms they will be locked anyway... The right upper corroder, is the kitchens and the potion lab, you are not allowed to go into either one... The upper corroder in front, is the library which you may use, damage any of my books and you shall be punished..." Harry shuddered slightly, knowing that Snape didn't mean punished as in being hit, but it still sent shivers down his spine. "The door to the left.." Severus gestured to the one of two doors on their level. "...leads to the prisoners chambers below the Manor which haven't been used since the 1800's, you are not allowed to go down there...." Harry nodded slowly, another shiver going up his spine, thinking of all the people that were probably tortured and killed in this very mansion... "The door in front of us.." Severus nodded at the second of the two doors, "....leads to the dining room and the living room. Breakfast shall be served at 7:30 sharp, lunch at 11:30, and dinner at 5:30, if you are late, you do not eat, if you miss either one, you may not go to the kitchens for more food as Albus allows you, Weasley, and Granger to do so. This is my house so you shall follow my rules, it is time you learned some obedience and any disrespect whatsoever shall not be tolerated, do I make myself clear?" Harry nodded once again, "Yes sir.." he murmured softly.  
  
Severus nodded, excepting his answer and said, "You are to stay out of my way and I expect you to follow the rules because unlike Albus, I will not allow you to get away with breaking any of the rules. We shall also be resuming Occlumency, you will meet me in the living room every Monday after dinner, you are not allowed to wander off the grounds." "Yes, sir" Harry said once again, severely wishing he were anywhere but here. "Any questions?" Harry glanced up. "Why didn't the headmaster let us stay at Hogwarts, sir?"  
  
Severus sighed, "Now that's really none of your business Mr. Potter is it?" he said coolly. Harry merely shook his head.  
  
"Well what are you waiting for? House elves to escort you to your room? I already told you how to get there now move!!" the man snapped and hurried away to the potion's lab, his robes billowing behind him (which had magically transformed from muggle clothes when they had entered the Snape Manor).  
  
Harry slowly looked around the main room of the Manor, still slightly amazed at how......human it looked.  
  
Harry hurried up the left stairway and walked down the corroder, staring at all the Snape-portraits on the walls. He tried opening the first door on the right (there was a door on the left across from it) to find that was indeed his room.  
  
The room had a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling, admitting his room in an orange glow, much like the one in the Entrance Hall. There was a large, king-sized bed to the right, the gold (!) colors shinning slightly in the light. On the left, was a desk (all his spell books and letters had been put neatly onto it, the parchment and quills had been put in the drawers of it by the house elves) and a large dark wooded dresser (his muggle clothes had been put into it), complete with a large mirror and a hair brush and comb. There was a door beside the bed, which lead to a large closet, he found (his robes had been put into it and his gifts he had received from his friends were put at the bottom of the closet). Another door was located across the room which, of course, lead to the bathroom.  
  
Harry looked around the room that he would be spending the rest of his summer in. So what if he had to put up with Snape, he had a bedroom, three meals a day, and a library filled with books. Perhaps the summer wouldn't be that bad after all......  
  
(@) Okay I might have gone a little overboard on the details but oh well! Details are good aren't they?!  
  
Okay I am thinking about adding a tiny bit of romance to the story (not with Severus but with Harry). Don't worry the story is going to, of course, be mainly about Severus and Harry so if there is any romance, it wont be a big thing in the story. So tell me if you want Harry or Ron to be with anyone (no slash though) and who it should be.  
  
Thanx!  
  
Okay so R&R! 


	5. Chapter four The Letter and a Revelation...

Hello again!  
  
Sorry about the small delay, school starting again so I might not be able to update as much....  
  
Well its going to be H/G and R/Hr but like I said, its not going to play a huge role in the story, at least I don't think it is.  
  
Once again thanks to all my reviewers!!  
  
Disclaimer- Don't own it.......not my fault.......  
  
Chapter four- The Letter and a Revelation!!  
  
Severus sighed as he entered his potion's lab. Just his bloody luck! It just had to be Potter, his most hated student. He knew Albus only assigned him for the job because the old man wanted him and Potter to 'bond' or some other sentimental crap.....  
  
What did the old man think that the two had in common?! Did he think they had the same childhood? Hah! They were the complete opposites! Potter was spoiled, he had been ignored; Potter was pampered, he had been abused; Potter was loved, he had been hated; Potter was adored, he had been rejected. Oh and he could just go on with the differences the two had, but he most certainly wasn't going to waste his little spare time he now had (thanks to Dumbledore...) on thinking about the damn brat!  
  
There was one thing that made him curious however.... The boy's appearance, it had most definitely changed and Severus (when he had first saw the boy in his newest appearance) had found himself looking into a sixteen year old version of himself, with the exception of the green eyes, straight nose, and non-greasy hair.  
  
He had written to Albus about it in his curiosity and had yet to receive the headmaster's letter.  
  
Had the boy perhaps done accidental magic to unconsciously disguise himself?! No...that couldn't be it...the Ministry would have noticed. Then what had happened?! He sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He needed a vacation- a real vacation, without having to baby-sit Albus' Golden-boy...  
  
The boy's appearance wouldn't have bothered him so much if the boy didn't look so much like himself! He just wanted to know what he had to do with all of this..... Why him? Why couldn't the boy have looked like....the werewolf or someone like that!  
  
Severus sighed tiredly as he pulled out a rather thick book called 'Charms and Spells the Encyclopedia: Volumn 1.' Severus knew that he wouldn't be able to relax for a second if he didn't figure this out and he'd be damned if he allowed the Golden-Boy to prance around looking like him without some sort of reasonable explanation, and even then he still didn't want the boy looking like him.....  
  
*****************  
  
Harry had never had such an interesting summer! Well, perhaps when he had been at the Weasley's, but still, this summer was turning out rather well so far.  
  
Harry had never realized how much he truly enjoyed reading until this summer, when he had read all of his fifth year books over again to find them quite interesting, Potions especially. He imagined that he really would have done much better in that subject if it hadn't of been for his biased potion's master breathing down his neck and punishing him for the slightest flaw......his OWL score told him so....  
  
Harry had read his fifth year schoolbooks over and over again, now understanding things that he had had problems with before. He also now understood the thrill Hermione got whenever she read a new book or learned something new......maybe she was starting to rub off on him or something because he really didn't understand his new hobby. He knew Hermione would be delighted but he doubted Ron would be to thrilled about it...... Especially since the first place Harry would probably go the first chance he got was the library at Hogwarts to check out some more books.....  
  
The reason why he was so overjoyed now was the Snape Manor library, which he found was filled with thousands of different books on different things. The library was separated into many different parts. There were sections on Potions, Charms, Hexes, Jinxes, Curses, Spells, Enchantments, Healing, Dueling, Magic Creatures, Herbology, Transfiguration, History of Magic and many more. The room was huge, with bookshelves that reached so high that you needed to climb up four staircases and two latters to get to the top. There were four floors with marble staircases leading up to each, and on the main floor you could look up to see each floor, like a loft with many floors. On each floor were big, squishy, comfortable looking chairs that were randomly placed and the ceiling was bewitched to look like the sky (like at Hogwarts) and when it was dark out, torches that were placed on the walls would come to life (there wasn't a chandelier).  
  
Harry loved it and had spent the last couple of days in the library, continuously reading. He had already learned about twenty spells (though he needed to wait to get to Hogwarts to try them) that he knew would be useful in a duel.  
  
Harry probably would have stayed in the library at night but Snape would usually come in to get a random spell book and would yell at him for staying in the library to long, saying that he was up to something.  
  
His first Occlumency lesson was tomorrow night, which he was dreading terribly, he knew that Snape would probably make him pay for looking into his pensive the previous year.  
  
Harry hauled Snape's old sixth year schoolbooks (he had found in the library and would read on until he got a chance to go up to Diagon Alley) up to his room for a bit of 'light reading.' He pushed the door open and dumped the thick books onto the golden bedspread and sat on the bed for a moment, thinking.  
  
Harry jumped slightly as he remembered that letter he had been sent and mentally smacked himself for forgetting.  
  
He made his way to the desk and sifted through the pile of letters that lay on the top. He carefully slid the old, raggedy looking envelope and peered curiously at it.  
  
He really had no idea who it was from, it looked rather old. He turned the envelope to the back and stared at the wax seal. It was a scarlet 'P' with a small lion surrounding it. 'Potter?!' Harry thought desperately.  
  
With trembling hands he broke the seal and opened the envelope. His heart was racing, this was something that his mother or father had written, their last words to him, not knowing what lie ahead of them.....  
  
It read,  
  
'My Dearest Son,  
  
Today is your sixteenth birthday, Happy Birthday. Know that I love you always, my Harry and I always will. If you are reading this, James and I are probably dead... We are in hiding now, Voldemort, an evil, terrible monster is after us.....you. I pray that you don't know about him, or that he isn't still living. James and I know that we will probably die but it is a sacrifice that we will both take willingly if it means your safety. Also, if we are dead, know that Sirius Black (your Godfather, if he is still alive, search for him) did not betray us, Peter Pettigrew did. I have a bad feeling that that rat (literally) is going to betray us though.......  
  
Harry.....you are my world and I love you so much and so does James, and no matter what happens, we will always love you. I am here, right now, watching you sleep in your cradle without a worry in the world and I want it to stay that way..... But I fear it will not, for you may be the prophesized one to defeat Voldemort forever. I hope and pray that you are not, I want you to grow up a normal, carefree life. I don't want you to live with my sister and her family where they will treat you horribly, which I know will happen if you are chosen......  
  
I must tell you something though, my son and no matter what this information brings to light, know that James and I will always love you.  
  
Harry......James is not your biological father.  
  
I know this may come as a shock to you and you might not believe that its real, but it is. You probably look like James, right? Well I was always rather good at Charms, your appearance is nothing but a Charm, Harry. A Charm, to protect you and your father from the likes of Voldemort.  
  
Please understand that we did this for your safety and the safety of your father. Understand, also, that it is not his fault, even though neither him or I loved each other, we were good friends. You see, I thought that he had drugged me at first, but I then found out that he had been put under the Imperious Curse, unknowingly of course, by Lucius Malfoy, who was 'punishing' him for not killing a small girl on their last mission.  
  
Your father, Harry, is........Severus Snape.  
  
Please don't blame him for what happened, I don't. James and I were the only two who knew of your true parentage, not even Albus Dumbledore (if he is alive, find him) knew. I know that Severus would never do a thing like that, even if it would have meant his life.  
  
I pray that he, at least, is still alive. If he is, he most likely is still working at Hogwarts as a Potion's Master so you probably already know him. He is a spy, Harry, so please don't think that he is for the dark side. He probably, isn't very nice to you because of you supposedly being James' son (the two didn't really get along). Please Harry, get to know him, give him a chance and get to see the man under the mask. You deserve a family, as does he, you can both be happy.  
  
I would write him a letter, but it would be to risky to send two letters with valuable information in them. I am already risking to much by sending you this, but you had to hear this from me. Please, tell him. He needs to know also.  
  
James will always love you Harry, even if he isn't your biological father, he is still your Dad.  
  
Please, be safe.  
  
Love you always.  
  
Your Mother,  
  
Lily Anne Evans-Potter'  
  
Harry sat there, staring at the old letter. He didn't realize the teardrops that had fallen onto the letter while he had been reading it. Only one thing stayed in his mind.  
  
'Severus Snape is my father.....'  
  
There was an odd ringing in the back of his head as he tried to comprehend the words.  
  
No. This-this couldn't be real, it was a joke-a joke from Fred and George.....a-a birthday joke. He knew it wasn't though. They wouldn't do something like this, besides he could almost see his mother, sitting in a rocking chair beside his crib, writing this as she peered down upon him fondly.  
  
His breath hitched as more tears came, his vision blurring horribly.  
  
He wasn't Harry James Potter...no, that boy never existed. He was Harry James 'Snape.' It even sounded wrong.  
  
'My father hates me.....' he thought and was suddenly assaulted by many questions.  
  
'What would Ron think? Hermione? Remus? Snape?!! How could the greasy-git be his father?!!! Dumbledore? Wasn't the old man supposed to know everything?! Sirius? What would Sirius have thought if he had known that his godson was really the son of the person he hated most?!'  
  
At the thought of Sirius, the damn finally broke and Harry collapsed on his bed, sobbing hysterically, clutching the letter, the only thing he had left of his mother, like it was his only anchor to life.  
  
He wasn't Harry Potter, the Quidditch star seeker, the Gryffindor Golden- Boy of Hogwarts, beloved son of Lily and James Potter, no....  
  
He was Harry Snape, (Eugh!) son of the most hated teacher in school, the accident, who was even hated by his own father.  
  
Would Dumbledore and his friends abandon him? Would Snape abuse him like the Dursley's had?  
  
Harry sat for, he didn't know how long, sobbing.  
  
Everything always went wrong, it always happened to him.  
  
He hated his life................  
  
(@) So what did you think? OOC? I'm not good at letters....  
  
I'm also not a good rater, do you think this story is PG-13? I doubt it but I really don't feel like having my story kicked off ff.net because I cant rate good.  
  
ALSO I heard that the sixth book as well as the book 'Muggles and Magic' is coming out shortly after the movie does. DO YOU KNOW IF ITS TRUE OR JUST A RUMOR?! I really don't want to get my hopes up for some stupid rumor though so please, tell me if you know if its true or not.......  
  
Well R&R!  
  
Thanx!! 


	6. Chapter five The truth comes out

Hi again!  
  
Well I am very happy that no one seemed to think anyone was OOC or anything like that though there were a few people confused about the letter.  
  
For one thing at the beginning of the story some people were under the impression that Lily wasn't going to tell anyone. Well, at first I was going to make it like that but I changed my mind and in the prologue, Lily wasn't really thinking straight so....she decided to tell James.  
  
Also about how Lily got the info on Sev being under the Imperious, well you will find that out later.  
  
Thanks once again to all the reviewers!!!  
  
Disclaimer- I'm just not going to say it anymore...  
  
Chapter five- The truth comes out....  
  
Severus strode through the halls of the Snape Manor haughtily as he made his way downstairs for breakfast. He was in a really bad mood. He had been looking through as many books as he could on the mystery behind Potter's new appearance and hadn't found anything.  
  
He had gotten a letter back from Albus saying that the headmaster would try to figure out what had altered the boy's appearance when he could.  
  
That, of course wouldn't help that much considering the wizened headmaster was constantly working for the Order and the upcoming year, so Severus was stuck wasting his holiday trying to figure out what the stupid brat had done to himself.  
  
He also had to re-teach the boy Occlumency starting tonight, which he was looking forward to about as much as he looked forward to Death Eater meetings....  
  
Severus entered the Dining Room and noticed that Potter wasn't there.  
  
Strange. Potter never missed a meal.....at least not when he had been with Severus that is.  
  
Severus sneered. The boy had probably stayed up to late. Oh well, what did Severus care if Potter missed a meal? It wasn't like he was going to starve, besides it was the boy's responsibility to discipline himself to get up at the appropriate time to eat.  
  
Severus filled his plate and started to eat, as he was finishing up, Harry finally made his appearance.  
  
Severus looked at the boy up and down taking in the boy's appearance. Potter looked terrible, he had bags under his eyes, which were extremely bloodshot and looked paler then normal.  
  
The raven haired boy avoided Snape's calculating gaze as he sat down at the table and started to put food on his plate.  
  
"And just what do you think your doing Potter?" Severus said coldly. Harry flinched, still keeping his eyes on his plate and murmured, "Eating, sir..."  
  
Severus arched an eyebrow, "Do you think you are above the rules here Potter?" he said calmly. Harry gulped, "No...I'm just.." "What did I say about being late for meals?" he snapped harshly.  
  
Harry gulped again, still avoiding his father's eyes, burning with hatred.  
  
"...th-that I wasn't supposed to eat if I were late, sir?" he whispered. "That's right, Potter, you will follow my rules whether you like it or not if you even want a crumb to eat, do I make myself clear?"  
  
Harry nodded, "Yes, sir..." He reluctantly pushed the plate away.  
  
Severus sneered, "Its time you learned some discipline Potter. You're just like your father Potter, thinking you're above everyone and that the world will follow your every whim, he never had any discipline either and look where it got him........"  
  
A scrapping noise filled the room as Harry slid out of his chair and was out of the room before Severus could even remind the boy that Occlumency was tonight.  
  
****************  
  
Harry ran as fast as he could to his room, his lungs felt like fire when he finally collapsed into a heap on his bed, tears once again blurring his vision.  
  
He once again found himself wondering why this had to happen to him. If only Snape knew......  
  
Would the man still ridicule and hate him? Would he ignore it?  
  
Harry knew that he should tell Snape that he was, well......his father. His mother wanted him to, she had said so in her letter.  
  
Yes, he would tell Snape, but only because his mother had wanted him to, after all, he didn't expect Snape to welcome him with open arms or anything.....he wasn't even sure if he wanted him to, after all, he hated Snape and Snape hated him....end of story....  
  
***************  
  
Severus looked up as he saw Potter walk into the living room, having just finished his dinner. The boy had barely came out of his room since the little incident that had happened during breakfast.  
  
Severus didn't know what the boy's problem was, he really didn't care, but it really annoyed him when the boy moped around just because he couldn't take an insult.  
  
And this boy was supposed to be the savior of them all? Heh.  
  
"I pray that you have at least attempted to try this time Potter? Or have you not learned your lesson yet?" he said coolly.  
  
Harry shuddered slightly as he closed his eyes and cleared his mind.  
  
"Legilimens!"  
  
Harry braced himself as the spell hit him, but it still didn't help him as memories were soon flashing before his eyes.  
  
He was five, on his first day of school, wearing Dudley's old hand me down clothes, he had been so excited, yet his hopes were dashed as all the children started pointing and laughing at his raggedy clothes and taped glasses....  
  
He was twelve, watching as Dobby the House Elf jumped on his bed...  
  
He was thirteen, fighting of the dementers to save Hermione and Sirius, his mother's scream echoing strongly in his ears...  
  
He was at the Department of Mysteries once again on that fateful night as Sirius slowly fell into the raggedy veil, shock and fear mixed on his face.....  
  
"NOOO!" Harry screamed and he suddenly found himself back in the living room. Harry curled up into a ball as a fresh wave of tears blurred his vision.  
  
Snape stood there, merely watching the boy who lived sob on the floor, a mixture of disgust and displeasure written on the potion masters face.  
  
Severus growled angrily, "Are you done Potter?" Harry sniffed and glared up at him, looking him in the face for the first time all day. "And here I was beginning to think there was some human in you professor....." the boy growled.  
  
Severus growled angrily. 'The nerve of the brat!' he thought, his eyes flashing dangerously, "Like I said before Potter, fools display their emotions......its what makes you weak!" "No it isn't!!" Harry snapped. "Professor Dumbledore says that our emotions are our biggest weapon" he said spitefully. "Half the people that died would be alive today if it wasn't for his damn emotions boy!!" Severus hissed back with equal spite.  
  
Harry blinked at him. Had Snape just insulted the headmaster?  
  
"Now again, Legilimens!"  
  
Harry didn't even have time to brace himself as the spell hit him at full force....probably due to the man's anger....  
  
He was in his second year, Ron and Hermione were telling him that Salazar Slytherin could be his great great great grandfather....  
  
He was in his fourth year, having just heard that Cho was going to the Yule Ball with Cedric, his heart bursting with jealousy.  
  
He was reading the letter his mother had sent to him, his heart nearly stopping when he read the line, 'James is not your biological father'.......  
  
"NO NO NO!" Harry screamed as he found himself in the living room once again. Harry was on all fours, panting. He couldn't believe that he had just let Snape see that.....  
  
Severus stared at the boy's crouching form, the most recent memory playing in his mind. 'Potter isn't a Potter?!' he thought incredulously. No. That was impossible, Potter looked just like his father.......well, he used to anyway.  
  
Severus looked at the still crouching boy up and down, he looked nothing like his 'father,' he still looked like..........Severus himself.  
  
He had a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. No...no that couldn't be possible, it just couldn't be...............could it?  
  
The letter that was obviously from Lily had said that James Potter wasn't the boy's father...... And Potter now looked like him, with a few minor differences that is.  
  
Still, Severus stood stock still, frozen in thought as it all became clear. It all added up but......he had never...him and Lily had never....he never would have...she had always just been his friend.....so it was impossible........  
  
Harry swallowed and looked up at the brooding potion master who stood completely still, a pensive expression on his face.  
  
"Is it true Potter?" Severus whispered finally. He had to know.... Harry merely looked up at him, a frightened look on his face.  
  
"Well is it boy?!!!" Severus yelled furiously, his self control snapping. The boy cowered.  
  
'Please don't let it be true' Severus prayed mentally.  
  
'Oh please God, Jesus....please don't let it be true...'  
  
But he knew from the terrified look on the boy's face (that looked so much like his when he had been sixteen) that his suspicions had been confirmed.  
  
He felt like he had just been doused with a bucket of cold water.  
  
He didn't think about how it had happened, that it was impossible......just that the brat was his son.....  
  
HIS son.........  
  
This spoiled, arrogant, self-centered brat was his son!  
  
His and Lily's.....  
  
The boy-his son was looking at him now....looking at him with fear in his eyes....in HER eyes...in Lily's eyes...Lily......his friend....  
  
Severus' mind was going a mile a minute, why hadn't he known about this? Why didn't Lily tell him? Why? This boy....Potter, was his own flesh and blood-and he hadn't even known it! He hadn't even recognized his short temper mixed with her fiery temper the boy had obviously inherited from the two of them.  
  
He had always hated the boy...  
  
He had always hated anyone that had a temper like his.....just like he had hated Lily at first, because her temper could match his...  
  
"P-professor?"  
  
Severus turned his dark eyes toward the emerald eyes of his son. Why was the boy calling him 'professor'? He was his father for goodness sakes!  
  
But then again, at the thought of Potter calling him 'father' or 'dad' sent shivers down his spine. He wasn't thinking straight........  
  
"P-professor a-are you alright?" Potter whispered fearfully.  
  
"Do I bloody look alright?!!" Severus yelled at the cowering boy.  
  
"Get Out!!" Severus ordered quietly, rubbing the place between his eyes.  
  
"B-but Occlu-"  
  
"I said GET OUT!!! NOW!!"  
  
Harry frantically jumped up off the ground and ran as fast as he could, barreling through the door like a rampaging hippogriff and running to the rooms.  
  
Harry passed by his room hurriedly and ran down the corroder to the last door, which was on the right. He pushed on the door but it didn't budge so he ran into it as the lock gave way and hurried into the room, sitting in the corner farthest away from the door, drawing his knees up to his chest. His heart was beating wildly and Harry sat there, holding his breath as he stared at the now closed door, waiting....  
  
He breathed a sigh of relief as he didn't hear any footsteps coming for him but he stayed in his place.  
  
Snape had the same temper as Vernon, Snape hated him like Vernon did........but would the man really hit him?! Would Snape really hit his son?!  
  
'He still hates you..' said a voice in the back of his head. 'He doesn't care and remember how angry he looked when he figured it out?'  
  
Harry agreed mentally with the voice, also remembering the incident with Snape's pensive....he had looked crazed almost and had bruised his arm......  
  
Vernon had started out with a simple smack....and before that he had always pushed Harry into things....small stuff like that....  
  
Would Snape eventually start hitting him like Vernon did? Even if he, Harry was his son...his own flesh and blood?  
  
Harry shivered slightly as he felt tears sting his vision.  
  
Little did he know was that a certain potion master was thinking about him as well.....but it a completely different manner of course.....  
  
(@) Good? Bad? OOC? Am I doing okay for my first fic?  
  
Also if you wanted to know, this is not going to be a Dumbledore bashing story.  
  
Review Please!! 


	7. Chapter six The talk

Hey I got 68 reviews!!! That's good!  
  
So thanks to everyone who reviewed YOU GUYS ROCK!! Okay I am on a sugar high so please excuse me!  
  
Alright I am not that happy with the last chapter cause I think I could have made Sev react more in character.....  
  
Well on with the next chapter!  
  
Chapter six-  
  
Severus paced angrily in his potion's lab, completely lost in thought. What was he supposed to do? He had hated Potter ever since he had laid eyes on the brat, all because of the boy's father......but James wasn't Potter's father.....no, he was.... He didn't have a reason to hate him anymore.....or an excuse...  
  
Severus scowled and growled. He did have reason to hate the boy, he was an arrogant, snobby, spoiled, and pompous little know-it-all brat!!  
  
Of course, when he had first met the boy, when Potter had been eleven, he hadn't truly hated the boy.....just who he reminded him of.....James bloody Potter, the ringleader of a group that had made his life a living hell when he had been in school.  
  
Afterward, when Potter started to actually defend himself, the hate had actually became real because Potter had started to really act snippy and cold to him....not without a reason of course.....  
  
Severus had to admit though, if he had treated the boy like a teacher should really treat their student then there might not be so much animosity between the two of them. So it was his fault.  
  
Severus sneered, the boy was still an arrogant, snobby, spoiled, and pompous little know-it-all brat though!! Severus sat down on a stool beside a cauldron and absentmindedly started to make the Dreamless-Sleep Potion, making Potions always seemed to calm him down and take his mind off of the pressures of his life...  
  
So he had a son.....and he was a father.....Merlin....he was a father..... Never in his life would he ever have thought that he would be a father let alone James Potter's supposed son. He never had really found anyone to love, considering his childhood, he often thought that he'd forgotten how to love.  
  
He sighed as he remembered the look of terror on the boys'.....on his son's face when he had yelled at him.... He knew that look......he had worn it himself when he had been younger....as if you were expecting to be struck....  
  
Severus felt a rather weird feeling in the pit of his stomach as well as a fresh wave of anger at the thought of someone striking the boy.....his son...  
  
Snape finished his potion and bottled it. His life was so complicated sometimes, he hated it. He had always wanted a son....someone who would love him unconditionally, who was his own flesh and blood, who would hopefully break through his walls and see him as a person...not a greasy-git who was against all Gryffindors and favored Slytherins. Of course, he had given up that dream a long time ago. But now, he had another chance....but this was Potter, his most hated student.....  
  
What if the boy rejected him?  
  
Severus didn't know if he would be delighted or crushed if that happened......  
  
****************  
  
Harry sat on his bed as he read his father's old sixth year Potions book.  
  
His father..... he shivered at the thought of Snape being his father.  
  
Snape.....he couldn't believe the way he had acted in front of the man when he had been yelling at him, but images of Vernon had came into his mind and he had reacted as if Snape was going to hit him..... It scared him to think of how little control he had of his actions anymore.....  
  
He wasn't really reading the book, it was merely a distraction, so no one would see the tears in his eyes if they came in.  
  
Harry thought once again about how he had acted in front of his father.....not only would the man never let him live this down but he would also use it as more ammo to humiliate him in class....  
  
Harry knew that Snape and his new found relationship wouldn't change anything.....the man would probably act worse, knowing that he had more power of Harry now that he found out that he was his father. Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to accept the man as his father, if Snape were willing to.  
  
Everyone always thought that Harry had everything he wanted and that his life was perfect......oh how little they knew, if only they knew that their 'savior' was the son of an ex-Death Eater (though many believed Snape still was one). Harry felt pathetic; here he was, crying because of this revelation, acting like a baby. He always wanted to be treated like an adult by Dumbledore and the Order but here he was, acting like an immature brat.....sure someone would be shaken up by this kind of revelation but he, Harry, wasn't even going to try to make this work.....  
  
Harry sighed and wiped furiously at the tears, trying desperately to make them stop. This wasn't a time for crying Snape was right, fools display their emotions for their enemy to see, if he hadn't displayed his emotions so much then Sirius might still be.........  
  
A sudden knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. The house-elves usually just popped in and only if he had summoned them. Then it could only be one person.........Snape.  
  
'Oh boy...here we go....' Harry thought to himself as he murmured a faint, "Come in..."  
  
The door creaked open softly and there stood Snape who looked rather normal besides the lack of scowl or sneer on his face that Harry had been so accustomed to seeing.  
  
Snape cleared his throat lightly and walked in and sat in the chair by Harry's desk. He cleared his throat again and Harry had to wonder why the man hadn't blown up yet.  
  
"I would like to apologize for my behavior in the living room, it was rude and uncalled for...." Snape said abruptly. Harry blinked. 'Snape just apologized.....I must have been more hysterical then I thought....' Harry then realized that Snape was expecting him to say something. "Oh....er...its...okay.....I guess..." Harry said awkwardly to his Professor. Snape looked slightly relieved.  
  
"So....you're my father huh?" Harry blurted out before he could stop himself, but Snape didn't really seem to get mad over the simple question (though he did flinch slightly). Snape sighed, "Yes, Potter it is true...though I don't know how..."  
  
Harry swallowed and said quietly, "Well....in th-the letter....er.. Mum said that you were under the Imperious Curse and you...uh...drugged her...." Snape arched his eyebrows trying desperately to search his memory only to find that he really couldn't remember back that far..... Well, if Lily said it was true then he would believe her.....she always was the cleverest witch in their class.....  
  
"So...um what are we going to do?" Harry asked, gaining a little more confidence. Severus sighed, "Well, we cant tell anyone about this.....discovery.." "Because of you being a spy.." Harry said slowly. Severus nodded, "Yes, and because you are the boy who lived and I am a Death Eater.."  
  
A awkward silence fell over the two of them, neither one knowing what to really say.  
  
"Well the Charms that Lily put on you were pretty complicated.....I don't think that I or anyone else can restore them..." Harry looked up, "So what are we going to do?"  
  
Severus sighed again, "I have sent an owl to Albus.......I don't think he would want us to 'hide the truth' as he would say" Severus sneered at the last part.  
  
"So I'm going to pose as your son?!" Harry exclaimed. Severus sneered again, "Don't sound so excited Potter, its not as if your pretending.." Harry blinked.  
  
"So if I do have to.....be your son, will I be able to tell Ron or Hermione about it?"  
  
"No.....when I say no one is to know, I mean no one besides those who are vital to know, like the headmaster."  
  
"W-What! But Ron's going to HATE me!! He hates everything about you so he will surely hate your son!" Harry blurted out for the second time. There was a moment of silence where Harry realized what he had just said and flushed slightly. "....sorry.."  
  
Severus merely rolled his eyes, "And you say that Slytherins are prejudice Mr. Potter?"  
  
"Would you stop calling me that?! If you haven't realized I'm not a Potter!"  
  
"And here I thought you hated me 'Mr. Snape'...." Harry flushed deeper as Severus stood up and strode out of the room.  
  
"And I expect you to be back tomorrow night to finish your Occlumency lessons!" He heard the older wizard yell.  
  
Harry glanced down at his hands as he contemplated over what had just happened..... Snape was always going to be a git to him... Ok maybe the conversation had gone civil for the most part but the man made it clear that he still hated him.....  
  
(@) Alright this took me a while but hey! I was kinda busy, Formal was yesterday so I couldn't finish it up then...  
  
Okay.....lets see I know I'm forgetting something...........  
  
Oh ya! Review please!!!!!!!! 


	8. Chapter seven Enter Dumbledore

Ok I'm back again! I know Harry and Sev might have been a little OOC but I tried. Also I was trying to make it seem like neither Sev or Harry were very happy about this ordeal but I think I gave the wrong impression......*sigh* well please excuse me I'm pretty new at this.....  
  
OK for starters thanks to all my reviewers once again ^_^  
  
I do hope this makes up for the last kind of short chapter.  
  
Chapter seven- Enter Dumbledore  
  
Severus Snape was NOT a happy man. For one thing, he was stuck with a spoiled little big headed brat who he had just found out recently, was his son.  
  
Okay, ya he had always wanted a son when he had been younger, before he had retreated into his hard cold shell isolated away from everyone else but this was just...just.....WRONG! He imagined Dumbledore would be having a good laugh about this unfortunate irony. Yes, the old man would probably be smiling at the two of them with twinkling eyes, offering them a lemon drop.......oh how he hated Albus Dumbledore at times!  
  
He had received the headmaster's response only a couple minutes ago, which had been about an hour after breakfast and the Professor's response had been anything but apologetic to him (which is what he had wanted/expected it to be). Instead it had been rather....cheery the old man had been practically congratulating the both of them, though Severus couldn't say that he saw one good thing that could come out of this misfortune, and he was positive that the boy felt the same way.  
  
When he had first found out about Potter being his son, him being shocked was an understatement, he had actually considered to accept Potter as his son for Merlin's sake!! He really must have been historical! One good thing that had come out of the aftershock was that he had actually managed to carry on a civil conversation with the boy; well Severus hadn't said anything to cause lasting damage at least....  
  
Damn Dumbledore! Damn Malfoy! If it hadn't of been for the Dark Lord's favorite boot-licker then this whole predicament wouldn't have even happened! Thus Potter wouldn't have even been born! At least it would have solved a dozen of his problems (which most of them revolved around the brat).  
  
Damn Harry bloody Potter! He most definitely would more satisfied by spending his time doing what he, Severus, wanted then babysitting some sniveling little brat that he found out was his son. Harry Potter, the Gryffindor Golden-boy, the boy who lived...his son! Severus sneered, how bloody disappointing! And him being a Gryffindor...Ugh!! The Snape line was ruined! Severus mentally chuckled, the Snape line ruined? Oh how his father would be furious if he were still alive!  
  
Albus was going to meet him and the boy sometime today to discuss the matter at hand. Severus headed to the boy's room to inform him of the headmaster's upcoming arrival......  
  
******************  
  
Harry scowled to himself as he thought about Snape. The nerve of the man! He thought Ron and Hermione wasn't important to him! He still couldn't believe that the git hadn't even asked him if he wanted to pose as his son before deciding!  
  
Of course, Snape had completely ignored him during breakfast, though when Harry had first arrived at breakfast, he had seen Snape's eyes widen when he first saw him (he was donned head to toe in black making him look like a Snape replica, much to his and his father's disgust).  
  
Harry had smiled smugly in seeing Snape shocked for the first time (of course the man had covered it up with a sneer).  
  
Though Harry hated to admit it, he was positive that Professor Dumbledore would agree with Snape and make him pose as the potion master's son.....he wouldn't even to be able to tell his two best friends....he'd have to start over again....befriend the two of them once again and get them to trust him....which of course would be much harder since he was a Snape...but no, nothing would be the same....he could never get them to trust 'Harry Snape' as they did 'Harry Potter,' they had been threw to much together, so they'd never look at him the same, or trust him or confide in him as they did now.....before, even if he did somehow befriend them again, nothing would be the same....  
  
Heh. Harry Snape...it probably wasn't even going to be his name  
  
And what about Ginny? Ever since the end of last year the two of them had grown closer, especially over the summer. They had been sending letters back and forth to each other. Harry certainly knew that she wasn't the shy, blushing, little girl she used to be, instead she had transformed into a beautiful young woman whom he could look to for comfort if he needed it, when the others wouldn't understand what it was like to feel like you were being controlled by Voldemort, she was the only one who knew....the only one he could turn to with something like that..... But now he would loose her to.....or she would probably dislike him too.  
  
He and Ginny had sent more letters to each other more then even Ron and Hermione had sent to him over the summer. His two friends had sent him only two other letters besides his birthday card to him over the summer. Mainly because of the DE activity, and because of danger of letter interception.  
  
Ron and Hermione had finally seemed to realize their feelings for one another, according to Ginny. The Weasley's and Hermione had once again spent their summer in the Order's HQ, researching ways to unstuck Mrs. Black's portrait.  
  
Harry had only received a letter from Ginny since he had been at the Snape Manor. In it she told him that she would give him his birthday present when they saw each other.  
  
Fat chance...  
  
She would probably not see him for a couple years, knowingly that is.  
  
Harry sighed, he wished he could at least see Ginny, he missed her....  
  
Harry was startled out of his thoughts as he heard a hesitant knock on the door...  
  
"Come in," sighed Harry, knowing who it was.  
  
Severus opened the door and walked in the room for the second time in two days. He looked around the room and sneered at the untidiness of it.  
  
Indeed, Harry had somehow managed to completely trash it since the night before. He had specifically restricted all house elves from cleaning his room, he liked it messy no matter how strange that sounded.  
  
"How you managed to make this room comparable to a hippogriff's stall in such a short amount of time I will never know....." Severus said coolly.  
  
Harry sighed, "What? Do you need something?"  
  
Severus' sneer deepened, "Manners, Potter manners" he said softly as he strode around the room to the chair, noticeably stepping over Harry's things that littered the floor.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore will be arriving soon, I expect you to make yourself look at least half-way decent, though you may find it almost impossible for a feat such as that to be accomplished....." Snape said eyeing Harry with disgust.  
  
Harry flushed slightly, "If I may sir, are you or are you not aware of how identical we now look?"  
  
Harry smirked victoriously as he saw a light blush cross his father's face. Severus quickly covered it with a sneer and said, "I was merely speaking of those horrid clothes you are wearing, tell me Potter, were they previously owned by some breed of elephant or is that the new look teenagers are now sporting?"  
  
Harry flushed deeper and opened his mouth to let out a rather nasty comment when an old, slightly amused voice suddenly called out, "Am I interrupting something?"  
  
Both Harry and his father looked to see the headmaster standing at the doorway, an amused smile playing on his lips.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore! How are you?" Harry exclaimed happily. The wizened man smiled gently at him, his blue eyes twinkling with delight. "Just fine my boy! I take it you two haven't been able to work anything out now have you?" he replied cheerfully.  
  
The two of them responded with identical scowls toward the headmaster, who chuckled at the two. "You two may be more similar then you think" he said, his eyes twinkling even more. Severus scowled.  
  
"As amusing as this is to you, headmaster, shouldn't we be discussing what to do about this bedlam!" he snapped.  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "Of course Severus. Harry you do know that you will have to pose as Severus' son right?" he asked Harry softly. Harry nodded, his eyes firmly fixed on the floor, "He also said that I couldn't tell Ron or Hermione, is that right headmaster?" he murmured dully.  
  
The headmaster nodded, a sad smile now on his wrinkled face. "I'm afraid so my boy, I'm sorry but it is for your and your father's safety..." Harry sighed, it was always for his safety......he never got to do anything because he 'always needed to be safe' it drove him crazy.  
  
Severus shifted slightly at the title.  
  
"So, we need to make a new name for you and a cover up story as to where you've been all this time!" Dumbledore said almost in an excited tone. "You know Severus, this will be a great chance for you to really open up to someone....."  
  
"Headmaster!" Severus snapped in a slightly appalled voice, "If you honestly think that just because the brat's my........son that I'm going to suddenly change my whole demeanor then you are sorely mistaken...."  
  
Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his eyes warily, "You could at least try Severus" he said softly. Severus merely sneered in response.  
  
Harry, who had been watching this whole ordeal silently, couldn't help but feel a slight pang in his heart by what his father had said, but as soon as it came it was gone. Harry gave himself a mental shake, he really didn't care if the man still hated him did he? It wasn't as if Harry was going to suddenly play the nice respectable son to a greasy git who just happened to have the same DNA as him....James Potter was always going to be his real father, no matter what.....  
  
"Yes I have the papers for his birth certificate right here....." Dumbledore said as he pulled out a pile of papers. "I've filled out everything already except his name."  
  
Severus grimaced, "What about his mother's name?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded, "All taken care of....lets see.." he sifted through the papers. "Born, August 12th 1980 to a Mr. Severus Snape and a Ms. Lindsey Doyle...." Severus stared, "Who in the hell is Lindsey Doyle?" Dumbledore gave him a reassuring nod. "A muggle, she died of a freak accident on August 1st, 1996.....she had one son but other then him, she had no living family...."  
  
"Never heard of her" Harry murmured. The old man smiled, "Of course you haven't, I made her up, now your mother, Lindsey Doyle, kept you from your father because they weren't wed and didn't love each other, Severus found out about you when she died on August 1st and you attended a private wizarding school in America up till now...."  
  
"Now, surely headmaster, if someone looked into that information they would find that this Doyle girl didn't even exist!" "Not to worry, Severus its all taken care of...." Dumbledore said reassuringly. "I swear, muggle profiles are so easy to get into...Well now that that's all explained, we need a name!"  
  
"But headmaster, what if someone looks into the records at my (supposedly) old school, they'll find out I never attended." The headmaster gave them a knowing smile once again, "St. James Academy closed down over the summer, so there wouldn't be a record of your stay there...."  
  
"Well you certainly have this sorted out....." Severus breathed.  
  
Albus nodded, "It was quite simple actually....Now a name! Severus, you're his father, what do you wish to name him?"  
  
Harry chanced a glance over at his father, the man looked slightly sickened but said solemnly, "I suppose I should name him after someone in my family.....though I don't think there's one person who deserves being named after....nevertheless I suppose I'll have to make do, it is a tradition after all...."  
  
Dumbledore smiled, though it was slightly saddened. "Well Severus the sooner we get his name, the sooner this thing will be out of your hair......for now at least..."  
  
Severus nodded slowly, "Okay then I wish to name him.........."  
  
(@) Okay how as that? Good? Bad? I hope the cover up story isn't to complicated, basically they're making up Harry's supposed mom......  
  
Okay please review!  
  
Till next time! 


	9. Chapter eight The son of Professor Snape

Oh my gosh! I have almost got a hundred reviews!!!!  
  
Alright I am on a roll here!  
  
Updated three times in three days that's pretty good I'd say....  
  
Thanks to reviewers once again, I wouldn't be writing if it wasn't for you guys....  
  
Not much to say except I don't own Harry Potter......ya that's about it..  
  
Chapter eight- The son of Professor Snape  
  
The platform bustled with excitement as children from ages eleven to seventeen boarded the steaming scarlet train to once again make their way to the remarkable place known as Hogwarts.  
  
Little eleven year olders were seen leaning out the window, waving good bye to their parents who were proudly watching their children. The platform 9 ¾ was loud with yells, laughs, and joyous cries as friends met up with each other once again after two long months of being away from one another (a/n is that right? Two months of summer holiday?).  
  
One lone figure stood away from all the loud chatter of the happy family and friends. It wasn't that he didn't want to go out there and join them, it was just that he couldn't, because he knew he'd see his friends and probably blow his cover....  
  
He sat in an empty compartment, reading the most recent weekly potion's magazine called 'Brewers.' The boy had long, straight raven black hair and glowing emerald green eyes and if any of his fellow classmates would have happened to peek inside on him, they would have noticed a certain familiarity between the new kid and their potion's master. Indeed, his eyebrows arched above his eyes, his features were sharp, his cheekbones more prominent.... On the boy's forehead was a scar that looked as if he had been sprayed by broken glass, it was merely a bunch of crooked lines all jumbled up together. It wasn't that noticeable though.....people who had managed to get a peek at the boy before he retreated into the compartment hadn't even noticed it at all....  
  
Damien Snape listened as the chatter slowly died down and it was made apparent that all the children were finally boarded. His peaceful silence was suddenly interrupted as the compartment door flew open and he looked up to see a freckled red headed boy and a bushy haired girl staring down at him, they were holding hands but looked very upset about something.  
  
The red headed boy gapped at Damien in shock. Damien (a/n I am going to mainly be calling Harry Damien from now on) raised an eye at the two of them, "May I help you?" he stated coolly, eyeing the two with slight disgust. The boy looked as if he were about to say something rather rude when the girl cut him off by saying, "Um...sorry to bother you we're just looking for one of our friends....have you seen Harry Potter around?" she asked curiously.  
  
Damien arched an eyebrow, "No I haven't.....is that all?"  
  
The boy looked as if he were about to say something again but was cut off by the girl again, "No thank you......my name is Hermione Granger by the way and this is Ron Weasley......we hope you will enjoy it here at Hogwarts........you are new aren't you? You certainly don't look like a first year...." She said this all rather fast but Damien managed to catch it.  
  
He nodded slowly, "Yes...well I suppose Hogwarts will have to do...." He said in a drawling, bored voice. "Damien Snape...." He said to the two.  
  
The boy looked absolutely repulsed but the girl nodded and held out her hand, "Nice to meet you Damien." Damien took it awkwardly before looking expectantly at the boy, who merely scowled at him before turning and walking out the door without another word.  
  
"You'll have to excuse Ron" Hermione said in an wary voice. "He's a bit prejudice of Slytherins and well.....since you are related to the head of the house he is sort....well..." Hermione blushed slightly at her boyfriend's prejudice.  
  
"Is Professor Snape your father?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
"I would think that was a bit obvious considering how much I look like him..." Damien said arching a calculating eyebrow at Hermione.  
  
She blushed even deeper, "Well.....I'll see you later, Damien...." And with that she went off after her boyfriend, shutting the compartment door as she went out of it.  
  
Damien sighed and leaned back against the seat. He couldn't believe he had just pulled that off.... His father had taught him how to hide his emotions well over the summer, most of it was because of Occlumency, which he was getting better at.  
  
He would have to be a completely different person with a completely different personality, which meant he had to be a little more sarcastic and haughty. It pained him to be horrible to his two friends but he had to or he would blow his cover....  
  
The compartment doors flew open for the second time and Damien stared up into Draco Malfoy's pale, pointed face who was as always, flanked with both Crabb and Goyle  
  
"So its true then?" the blonde drawled and a smirk formed on his pale face. "Professor Snape's son has come to Hogwarts...."  
  
"Is it really that hard to believe that my father can reproduce?" Damien said coldly, but this time the hatred was real. "Because I don't really like to be looked at as if I am an animal at the circus...."  
  
Malfoy smirked in satisfaction and nodded, "I'm Malfoy- Draco Malfoy..." He held out his hand and Damien had a flash of their first year but this time, he instead took Malfoy's hand with feigned sincerity. "Damien Snape, pleasure to meet you Draco" he said. "Oh ya and this is Crabb and Goyle" he said gesturing to the two tree sized boys behind him.  
  
Damien gave them each a nod and returned to his book while Malfoy left for prefect duty's, Crabb and Goyle following him. 'Well at least that's over' he thought.  
  
The lady from the food trolly came but he was to nervous to eat anything.  
  
A couple minutes later the door flying open for the third time again interrupted him. He sighed, expecting to see Malfoy but instead looked up into the pretty face of Ginny Weasley. Damien swallowed and prayed that he wouldn't have to be to hard on her. The red head looked at him up and down and smiled, "Hermione told me their was a new kid on the train........Are you really Snape's son?"  
  
Damien merely stared at her and she blushed, "I'm sorry.....I don't mean to make it sound like your some kind of entertainment its just.....hard to believe...."  
  
Damien nodded, "Might as well get used to it huh?" he cracked a small smile at the girl as she sat down across from him. Ginny giggled slightly, "That's not the only reason people are going to be staring.....at least for the girls that is...." Her hands suddenly flew up to her mouth and she blushed deeper, "I did not say that out loud..." she murmured threw her hand. "No, you didn't I can just read minds.......Damien Snape by the way, nice to meet you Ginny" Damien replied, smirking.  
  
Ginny looked as if she were about to say something else but the door flew open and a VERY angry Ron Weasley stomped in, "And just what do think your doing to my little sister you Slytherin trash!!!" the red faced boy roared. "Ron leave him alone we were just talking!" Ginny snapped and Ron turned toward her, "As for you! You go to 'Mione and mine's compartment!" "Don't tell me what to do!" Ginny shouted back, "I don't need you holding my hand, I'm not a little girl anymore!" she snapped as she stood up and Damien noted in amusement that Ron actually shrunk back slightly. Well they all knew who Ginny inherited her temper from.  
  
"But Ginny he's a Slytherin!"  
  
"Not yet he's not...!"  
  
"He might as well be one considering who his father is!"  
  
"Who gives a crap who his father is?! How can you judge the son by the father Ron?! For all you know Damien could be nothing like Snape!"  
  
"Bu-"  
  
"RON!!!" a new voice sounded and an angry Hermione appeared at the door. "What is with all this yelling?" she hissed, "You are a prefect, you are supposed to set a better example for littler kids!"  
  
"Well Ginny was in here with the git's son..."  
  
"Oh not this again Ron! When are you going to see threw your stupid prejudices?"  
  
Ron opened and closed his mouth several times before whirling around and storming off. Hermione sighed and turned to Damien, who had watched the exchange play out silently.  
  
"You'll have to excuse Ron, he's a little shallow minded..." Hermione sighed, "He really isn't that bad.....I guess he's just worried about Harry...." She trailed off and suddenly turned and hurried out of the compartment.  
  
"Sorry about Ron...." Ginny said. Damien shrugged, "Like I said before, might as well get used to it huh?" he said breezily. Ginny looked at the floor, "Ya, well he had no right to say what he did...well I'd better get back to Ron before he has a seizure....I'll see you later Okay?" Damien nodded and she gave a small wave before setting off after her brother.  
  
*********************  
  
Damien got off the train and heard Hagrid's familiar yell of, "Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere!"  
  
Hagrid raised his bushy eyebrows at Damien, "You tha new ki'?" Damien nodded, "Well then.....your to folla' me in the boats with tha firs' years now...." Damien loaded the boat as they began to sail over the dark lake, he heard the intake of breath at the first year's first sighting of Hogwarts.  
  
They stepped up the stone steps and waited until Professor McGonagall marched up in her dark emerald robes. "Welcome to Hogwarts! In a few minutes you shall pass threw these doors and join your classmates but you first must be sorted. The houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, your triumphs will gain your house points, any rule breaking and you shall loose points. At the end of the year the house with the most points shall be awarded the House Cup....."  
  
Professor McGonagall glanced over the crowd, stopping her gaze on Damien. She looked at him for a minute before nodding and saying, "Follow me.." With that she opened the large oak doors to the Great Hall and the chatter stopped almost at once as the first years and Damien filed into the enormous room.  
  
Damien knew that most of the eyes were on him, he could hear whispers all around him as they stopped in front of the stool where the sorting hat lie. (a/n- I'm not going to do the song since I'm not that good at them...)  
  
The students and teachers applauded as Professor McGonagall started to read out names.  
  
"Abbot, Jason"  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF!"  
  
"Berk, Markus"  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
  
"Chang, Charlie"  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
"Caput, Alexander"  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF"  
  
"Eden, Selena"  
  
"RAVENCLAW"  
  
Damien listened patiently as the first years were sorted and the crowd around him thinned. He suddenly felt very nervous.....more people were staring at him.  
  
Finally the sorting was finished and Professor Dumbledore stood, Damien schooled his expression to remain emotionless.  
  
"We have an exchange student who has come from a private school in America which has recently shut down. Do to that, and other events, his father which I am sure you all know, has requested for him to instead join us at Hogwarts, so I hope you will make him feel very welcome here...." He then nodded to Professor McGonagall who cleared her throat and said,  
  
"Snape, Damien"  
  
Damien held his breath as he slowly approached the stool, he caught a glance of his father's face, which like his remained emotionless.  
  
He sat on the stool and heard the tiny voice in his head...  
  
"Well well well what do we have here? Come to be sorting again Mr. Potter? Or should I say Mr. Snape? Ah yes well you never were at your best potential in Gryffindor...... I stand by where you should have been in your first year Mr. Snape. So better be.....SLYTHERIN!"  
  
(@) I am NOT good at Hagrid's accent just to let you know.....  
  
So, Damien....what do you think of that name?  
  
I think I spelled a couple things wrong but I really wanted to put this up today so.......  
  
Please review!! 


	10. Chapter nine Talks and thoughts

I HAVE GOT A HUNDRED REVIEWS!!! YAY!!!!  
  
Okay just to let everyone know, this is not going to be slash so if there is any indication in the story that there is going to be......please tell me cause I don't write slash.  
  
This is going to be HP/GW and RW/HG (as it now says in the summary).  
  
Thanks to my wonderful reviewers!!  
  
Okay here's the next chapter!  
  
Chapter nine- Talks and thoughts  
  
"Whatever..." Damien murmured as Malfoy drawled away on his opinion of letting 'filthy mudbloods' attend school with purebloods who were the 'ideal wizard.' Everyone was just finishing up their food and the Welcoming Feast was almost over. Damien was supposed to meet with his father to discuss his classes after the feast.  
  
"...and what's with that jumped up Granger? Someone should put a leash on the mudblood, always tagging along with Weasley and Potter......of course now that Potter's abandoned them they don't act so tough anymore without their ringleader telling them what to do..."  
  
Damien clenched his fists under the table. After the Sorting Ceremony, Dumbledore had announced that he (Harry) had gone off to do some secret training. Damien personally thought that the headmaster could have came up with a better excuse....  
  
One thing was that all of his friends could still owl him as to not raise suspicion of Damien Snape's sudden arrival and Harry Potter's sudden disappearance, but by Hedwig only. Dumbledore had ordered the owl only to drop off the letter in Harry's room (Slytherins, unlike Gryffindors got their own room) so he could respond to them. The hardest part was that Damien knew he would have to change his handwriting for classes.  
  
"....and half-bloods whats the deal with them?! They don't belong with us either! They may be part wizard but they still have filthy muggle blood in them..."  
  
Damien glared at the blonde. "I am a half-blood I hope you know!" he said coldly. Malfoy stopped talking immediately. "Y-You are? Well-"  
  
"Excuse me..." he said coolly and got up a couple minutes after his father had, he felt eyes watching him, as if expecting him to suddenly take out his wand and jinx them all.  
  
Damien walked out into the Great Hall to see his father waiting for him. Snape nodded jerkily to follow him and Damien obeyed silently as they walked down to the dungeons. They entered Snape's private rooms and Snape froze.  
  
Suddenly he whirled around, pulled out his wand, and shouted, "Legilimens!"  
  
The whole thing had taken less then five seconds but Damien, who had learned to always be on his guard over the summer, was ready for him. Damien braced himself as the spell hit...  
  
He was thirteen and Aunt Marge was floating up to the ceiling, her dog barking while Uncle Vernon was shouting.....  
  
Damien squeezed his eyes tightly shut and concentrated so hard that his head hurt, he was getting very good at Occlumency but his father was practically giving it his all making it all harder.  
  
It was during this past summer, his father was smiling at him...actually smiling for the first time, they had been making the Dreamless Sleep Potion and Damien had gotten it right for the first time...his father had looked almost proud.....  
  
Damien felt a surge of happiness flood through him at the memory of his father looking at him with something akin to pride (which hadn't happened once since that time) and concentrated even harder, he wanted to make his father proud of him at least a little....  
  
Damien focused and could finally make out his father staring at him, muttering under his breath, Damien yelled, "Stupefy!" (a/n did I spell that right?) and they were suddenly standing in his father's private rooms again.  
  
Snape stumbled back, nearly loosing his balance. They were both panting at the energy it had taken, though Snape wasn't as drained as Damien was....  
  
Severus nodded in satisfaction toward Damien, "Better.....but you still have some work to do... I want you here every Wednesday after dinner alright?" Damien nodded. "I also want you to continue clearing your mind every night...." Damien nodded again.  
  
His father straightened his robes that had become slightly rumpled and stepped up to his desk. He nodded to the chair across from it and Damien gratefully sat down, suddenly feeling very drained.  
  
"Well that was unexpected.....I expected Gryffindor or even Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw but......Slytherin?" his father looked slightly amused at Damien's blush.  
  
"Er...ya...well in my first year....the hat wanted to put me in Slytherin and I thought it might be suspicious if the head of the Slytherin house's son was put in Gryffindor so I let it....."  
  
Severus' eyebrows disappeared in his hairline and Damien had to laugh at the shocked expression that was rarely seen on his father's face. "Well....that's certainly unexpected" Severus murmured thoughtfully.  
  
Damien felt a slight warmth inside of him. At the end part of the summer, he and his father had had to spend more time together for Occlumency and teaching him how to control his emotions (so they wont show on his face). His father and him had also dueled, and, to Damien's surprise, the man had also taught him some jinxes and hexes that would be useful in a duel. Mostly Damien and Severus (as he had called him over the summer since 'professor' was to formal and Severus would kill him if he called him 'father') had seemed to have formed a silent truce and had actually formed a kind of.......well.....friendship, you could say, after all, you couldn't help but form a friendship with someone who you had seen fourteen hours a day for almost a month who just happened to be your father.....  
  
Severus had been almost...nice to him ever since the meeting with Dumbledore and it made Damien feel comforted by the fact that his father was actually trying. Of course, Severus also had to change his attitude toward Damien during class, I mean, who would be as cruel to their son as Severus was to Harry Potter?  
  
"Okay, I've got you down for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, Charms, and Care of Magical Creatures......"  
  
Severus glanced up. "You may trade COMC for another subject" he said quietly.  
  
Damien thought for a moment....well he never really liked COMC anyway....he only stayed in it for Hagrid but now since he wasn't Harry Potter he could take whatever class he wanted....  
  
"I think I'll take Ancient Runes (?), it sounds interesting and I'm sure it'll come in handy for being an Auror, plus I'll have it with Hermione..."  
  
Severus nodded and marked out COMC and put Ancient Runes in its place.  
  
"Don't forget though, Damien, it may look weird if you are all chummy with Harry Potter's friends...we don't want to give anyone any reason to suspect..."  
  
"Ya ya I know, I know..." Damien murmured. "I don't think they'll be suspecting me anytime soon though.....I 'met' Ron, Hermione, and Ginny on the train..."  
  
His father looked up, an odd expression on his face. "Well.....how did you do?"  
  
"Good, I was more sarcastic and rude but I didn't act to awfully bad....." Damien trailed off and Severus' smirked faded, "What?" he asked looking at Damien carefully.  
  
Damien swallowed, "Ron acted as if I were Voldemort....."  
  
"Don't say his name!!" Severus snapped furiously and Damien flinched, shrinking back slightly. Severus sighed and rubbed the place between his eyes wearily. He had forgotten about his son's reaction to harsh or yelled words (which he knew why Damien acted that way). Severus knew that those 'relatives' that Damien had lived with had beaten him (well his Uncle and cousin had) and it pissed him off to no end. He had talked to the boy over the summer and had gotten little info out of him.... He wanted to know what that bastard had done to his son!!  
  
Severus really wasn't sure what he felt about Damien, once he had gotten to know him....the real him, he had grown.....fond of his son... Not like he was ever tell the boy that though! Then again he was Harry Potter, his most hated student wasn't he? But when it came to something like someone laying a hand on his son it made him furious and he swore that one day he would get that bastard back for what the muggle had done to his son....if only Damien would let him that is...  
  
Severus still acted rather harsh to the boy but he really didn't know how to act around his son.... But whenever he thought that someone was harming Damien, it made him feel angry...very angry and protective, as if he should always make sure that nothing bad ever happened to the boy...(not that he was going to tell the boy how he felt)  
  
But...but he hated him didn't he? His feelings for the boy would never change just because Damien was his son would they? But he found out that the boy wasn't really all that selfish and was nothing like his fath--James Potter....  
  
"Severus?" Severus was torn out of his thoughts as he looked into worried green eyes that were now closer due to the fact that the boy had leaned across the desk in concern.  
  
Of course Severus didn't blame him....he hadn't moved for about five good minutes....  
  
Severus cleared his throat, "I apologize Mr. Pot-Damien"  
  
Damien ignored the slip and nodded slowly as he looked at the floor, "Its okay Severus..."  
  
Severus sighed, "You know you will have to call me 'professor' or 'sir' in front of everyone else so don't slip up, okay?" Damien nodded, smiling slightly.  
  
"Well, I'll escort you to the Snake Pit..."  
  
"The Snake Pit?"  
  
"That's what we call the Slytherin Dorms..."  
  
Damien nodded and the two walked out.  
  
They walked in silence and stopped at a stone wall.  
  
"The password is 'pureblood' Good-night Damien..."  
  
"'Night Professor....Severus"  
  
Severus showed the smallest flicker of a smile before turning around and stalking away without a glance back at Damien.  
  
Damien took a deep breath and stared at the wall. "Well, here goes nothing, pureblood!"  
  
The wall slid into itself and Damien walked into the Snake Pit for the first time in four years....  
  
() okay what'd you think? I hope Sev or Harry wasn't OOC or anything cause I kinda wanted to make them a tiny bit closer.  
  
Well review please!  
  
Till next time! 


	11. Chapter ten Flashbacks, Schedules, and A...

Hello! Its finally the weekend so I am writing yay!!  
  
Okay I am FINALLY going to answer some reviews.....or at least most of them that is, so if I accidentally miss you....sorry.  
  
Reviewers of Chapter ten-  
  
Coldflames04- Actually it was four years since Harry's second so I think that's right. Please, if you see any info that you think is wrong please tell me cause I don't have that much time to make sure everything is right! I wont get mad, I promise! Thanks for the review!   
  
Ennui deMorte- Thanks! I'm glad that they are IC!  
  
Shy3wolf- Thanks! Well I was going to name Harry Zack or Alex but those have been taken so Damien was my next choice....   
  
Makalani Astral- Thanks for the review! I'm trying to make Draco as IC as possible to so tell me if he seems a bit OOC  
  
Anarane Anwamane- Thanks!  
  
Starangel2106- Thanks, I'm trying to make them closer slowly but I may be going a bit fast!  
  
Catti- Thanks!  
  
Leggylover03- Ya I think closer is better to.. Thanks for the review!  
  
Gallandro-83- I don't really mean for Harry to refer Severus as 'his father' so quickly, I guess its better to type that instead of 'Severus' all the time. I know Harry may seem a little OOC and he and Severus may seem to be getting along rather well but they got a lot closer over the summer (well not A LOT but....closer) which will be seen at times in flashbacks and I may make the summer a companion story to this one later on. Also about Ginny and Harry well I've got a way for them to be together but its not going to happen until later chapters... Thanks for your reviews, they are really helpful cause I don't really have that much time to check over the chapters and please tell me if you think any of them are very OOC. I cant really promise that they will not be at least a little OOC but tell me if I'm going overboard here. Thanks!  
  
Sarahamanda- Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like the chapters!  
  
Okay for everyone else that has reviewed on the other chapters but not on this one, I'm really sorry that I cant answer them. I am going to try to answer reviewers from now on....  
  
Well on with the chapter!  
  
Chapter ten- Flashbacks, Schedules, and Annoying Ferrets!  
  
Damien stepped into the Snake Pit and looked around. It really hadn't changed that much from his second year, all donned in green and silver.  
  
All the conversation stopped almost instantly as every eye was fixed on him. Damien glared right back at them coldly. "Well are you just going to stand there or am I going to have to find my room myself?" he snapped.  
  
The murmur started up once again, they obviously seemed to except him.....at least a little. Only one person approached him though (most were glancing at him cautiously). Draco Malfoy smirked and signed for Damien to follow him.  
  
"And here I thought you didn't want to be seen with a half-blood such as myself....after all you are the ideal wizard and you wouldn't want to be seen with a half-breed like myself...."  
  
Malfoy, however continued to smirk as he led the way up to the sixth year boys rooms. "Well some half-bloods are alright.....as long as they can prove their worth that is! Not that you need to or anything.....Well here we are Damien."  
  
The two stopped at a circular room with several paintings on the walls. "This is yours....you can choose the password once you get inside, right now its 'serpent'" Malfoy gestured to the painting of two boys dueling.  
  
"By the way..." the blonde said turning to Damien. "I know its not your fault that you're a half-breed....." "What do you mean?" Damien asked in an offended tone, arching an eyebrow at the blonde. Malfoy smirked once again and Damien suddenly wanted to smack the other boy. "Well I know you cant help that your father raped your mother......he was probably following the Dark Lord's orders so I cant really blame him...After all, its not as though he loved her or anything...."  
  
Damien felt a well or anger beyond anything that he had ever felt before. The arrogant smirk was still on the Malfoy's face and he wanted to slam his fist into the pale boy's pointed face. He did too. He turned around and punched Malfoy in the nose as hard as he possibly could. Malfoy staggered and fell to the floor but Damien had already entered his rooms, he thought of the first word that came to mind and told the painting to change the password to, 'Sirius' before shutting the painting in the now standing boy's face.  
  
Damien looked around the room, it was almost exactly like the room he had occupied over at the Snape Manor except it was smaller, there was no bathroom, and it was silver and green instead of gold.  
  
Damien sighed and flung himself onto the velvet green covers, trying to prevent the tears from falling. Damien had never really thought of his conception as rape.....well maybe at first when he had been really angry at Severus he had, but hadn't his mother said that he, Damien should forgive Severus? It wasn't his fault after all. Well, Damien guessed that drugging someone like Severus had his mother and doing what he had done to her was considered as rape.......But it wasn't his fault! He was under the Imperious Curse! By Lucius Malfoy too! It was hard to imagine that he, Damien would have even existed if it hadn't of been for the man....  
  
Was he a bastard? After all he was the product of rape.... He suddenly felt anger well up in him once again as he thought about Snape...the snarky potion's master raping his mother.... He felt sickened by the thought and buried his head into his pillow as he felt the familiar hot tears fall down his cheeks......  
  
He shouldn't be mad at Severus..... Damien knew the man would never do something like that........especially to his friend. Over the summer Damien had actually discovered a human part of Severus....he smiled slightly at the thought amongst the tears....  
  
##################### FLASHBACK  
  
"Legilimens!!" Severus roared once again.  
  
Harry gasped but braced himself as he felt the spell hit him. Once again he was plunged into memories of his horrible childhood.  
  
He was eight and running from Dudley's gang, his lungs were burning from the lack of air, his legs aching horribly as he made for an alleyway. He felt the bruises that already littered his back, courtesy of Dudley, ach making it much harder to escape the clutches of his demented cousin. He finally collapsed and looked up in horror as Dudley and his gang surrounded him, all smirking jeering at him. Harry squeezed his eyes shut as his cousin threw the first punch..............  
  
Suddenly the memory faded away and they were back in the living room, Harry was panting, his cheeks wet as he shook violently. Severus looked at him for a couple minutes, having ended the spell early.  
  
"Did they often chase you?" he asked, his voice strangely free of emotion. Harry swallowed heavily and nodded, "That was a........lucky day..." he murmured. "It was usually..........worse." Harry didn't know why he was telling Severus this but it somehow made him feel better.......  
  
Severus nodded slowly, "That's enough for today" he said quietly, his intense gaze fixed on Harry, never leaving him. Harry looked at him in confusion, the last spell had only been the second time this evening! Usually they did it around ten or fifteen times or until Harry finally collapsed but two was just......nothing!  
  
"Are you sure sir" he asked slowly. "I mean, you don't want me to come back tomorrow or anything do you?"  
  
Severus shook his head slowly, "No I would have told you now wouldn't I of?" he said with a bit of impatience in his voice. Harry flinched involuntarily, the memory of Dudley and the other boys playing in his mind.  
  
Severus sighed and said, "Unfortunately we are going to be spending more time together thanks to certain people....." Severus scowled at the last part. "It is after all holidays so.....just call me....Severus...." Harry openly gawked at the man.  
  
"Call me Sev, Sevvy, Dad, or anything remotely similar then I'll rip you limb from limb though got it?!"  
  
Usually Harry would have been terrified of a statement such as that one coming from his rabid potion's master but right now he felt......amused slightly.  
  
"Alright....then call me Harry since Potter isn't really my name........." Harry frowned at the last part but put in a threat to for good measure. "Call me Mr. Snape though and I'll....." he paused as Severus raised his eyebrows at the last part. ".....or else I'll...I'll....do something really bad!!" Harry finished with feigned intimidation.  
  
The man laughed at the sad threat and it was Harry's turn to raise his eyebrows. He had never...NEVER heard the man laugh! He didn't even know Severus could! Harry had to smile at the difference it made on the man. He actually looked........human and almost happy too.  
  
Severus smirked at Harry and eyed him up and down as if sizing him up. His smirk widened and he nodded as if in satisfaction before whirling around and striding to his potion lab, his black robes billowing dramatically.....  
  
END FLASHBACK #####################  
  
Damien smiled at the memory and wiped away his tears stubbornly. The headmaster's words suddenly popped into his head, "It does not do well to dwell on the past and forget to live......"  
  
Damien straightened and got into his bed, fully clothed. He was suddenly very tired.....  
  
Next day  
  
"Hey look...look over there!"  
  
"Where!"  
  
"Over there! That boy sitting next to Malfoy!"  
  
"Did you hear who he is?"  
  
"Did you hear who his father is?"  
  
Whispers followed Damien and Malfoy (who insisted on sticking with him, saying that they punch in the nose had just been a misunderstanding.......his father's orders no doubt....) the next day and Damien had a flashback of his first day in his first year when everyone had been whispering and following him....But this was different.....way different. Some of them were just curious but most were rather cruel instead of awed and flattered. Though Ginny had been right, many more girls were staring at him then boys.... But then again when a boy stared at Damien, they sneered and scowled at him but when a girl did, she completely stared open mouthed at him for a moment before blushing and hurrying away.  
  
Professor Snape was passing around the schedules for everyone. He handed Damien his schedule and nodded at him, "Mr. Snape" he greeted evenly. Damien nodded back, "Sir" he said his voice equally even.  
  
The sixth year schedules were different from the schedules before. They had fewer classes, that was one thing but they also had the same classes more times a week then before.  
  
Damien looked at his schedule with little interest:  
  
Monday:  
  
9:00AM- Transfiguration  
  
11:00AM- Lunch  
  
12:30PM- Herbology  
  
2:30PM- Double Potions  
  
6:30PM- Dinner  
  
Tuesday:  
  
9:00AM- Ancient Runes  
  
11:00AM- Lunch  
  
12:30PM- Double Defense Against the Dark Arts  
  
4:30PM- Double Charms  
  
6:30PM- Dinner  
  
Wednesday:  
  
9:00AM- Charms  
  
11:00AM- Lunch  
  
12:30PM- Double Herbology  
  
4:30PM- Double Transfiguration  
  
6:30PM- Dinner  
  
Thursday:  
  
9:00AM- Potions  
  
11:00AM- Lunch  
  
12:30PM- Double Ancient Runes  
  
4:30PM- Defense Against the Dark Arts  
  
6:30PM- Dinner  
  
Friday:  
  
9:00AM- Ancient Runes  
  
10:00AM- Potions  
  
11:00AM- Lunch  
  
12:30PM- Charms  
  
2:30PM- Herbology  
  
3:30PM- Transfiguration  
  
4:30PM- Potions  
  
5:30PM- Defense Against the Dark Arts  
  
6:30PM- Dinner  
  
Please note that you are now in Academic classes of each subject due to your OWL results and that you will be taking this class with any other sixth year that has also achieved the required results on the OWL's.  
  
"Well that's certainly different" Malfoy murmured as he stared at his schedule, which was exactly like Damien's. He turned toward Damien, "You are in sixth year aren't you?" he asked the Snape.  
  
Damien nodded, "What don't I look like one? I'm taller then you are!" he said coolly not quite forgiving Malfoy for his comment the other night.  
  
"No, just wondering....hey our schedules are exactly the same....except the Ancient Runes class!" Malfoy said in an excited voice.  
  
"Oh joy" Damien murmured sarcastically as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. This year was going to definitely SUCK......  
  
() Okay I don't know if I did the schedule right or not and if I did, I'm sorry because I kind of like the way I did it.  
  
Well review please!  
  
See ya! 


	12. Chapter eleven McGonagall and GinnyOh Bo...

Hey again! Sorry for the wait.....finals are coming up and those stupid things make me so nervous! Err! I hate them!!  
  
Okay thanks to my reviewers!  
  
Lisa Lovegood- Thanks for reviewing for the chapters! Hope you enjoy the rest of the story!  
  
Charlie-potter1- Thanks! Here's the update!  
  
Awen- Thanks!  
  
Hakkai-Gojyo-Goku-Sanzo- Ya I know poor Damien! Thanks for the review hope you enjoy!  
  
Phire Phoenix- Thanks! I'm glad that you think that Sev's IC!  
  
Lady Lily- Thanks! Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!  
  
Anarane Anwamane- Thanks!  
  
Eve27- Ya well Damien is going to warm up to Draco eventually but its gonna take a while! I love Severitus Challenge stories where Draco and Harry are friends.... Thanks for the review!  
  
Devils Daughter- thanks! I finally spelled corridor right!  
  
Coldflames04- Ya I know Sev might be a little OC but I'm trying not to go to overboard! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Leggylover03- Thank you! Here's the next chapter!  
  
Starangel2106- Thanks! I'm glad I didn't mess up on the schedule!  
  
Gallandro-83- Thanks glad you liked the chapter! As for Malfoy being Damien's lackey, that's of course on his father's orders. Hope you like the chapter!  
  
Okay if I missed anyone...sorry. I'm gonna try to make this one longer because of the lack of updates so enjoy!  
  
Chapter eleven- McGonagall and Ginny....oh boy!  
  
Damien hurried to Transfiguration trying desperately to get away from Malfoy for at least a minute. He walked into Professor McGonagall's room and realized that he was the only one there....well he was about fifteen minutes early.... He carefully slid his bag into one of the seats and sat down, resting for a moment and grateful to finally have some time to himself. It was short lived though as he heard McGonagall walk into the room, stopping as she laid eyes on him.  
  
"Well Mr. Snape.....I never thought I'd have a student who would be fifteen minutes early to class....miracles do happen I suppose...." She smiled slightly at him, looking at him up and down. Damien shifted slightly under her calculating gaze and she sighed and looked away.  
  
"I'm sorry Mr. Snape but I just can't see Severus as the father type....." Damien merely smiled. 'Your not the only one......' he thought to himself. "Have you gotten lost at all? Any problems with the other students? They can be quite prejudice...." Professor McGonagall said with a sigh. "I can tell...." Damien murmured disdainfully. The witch glanced up from her lesson plans, "Has anyone said anything? Whoever it is will be severely punished no doubt about that...." She sighed, "I don't think Severus would be pleased with the fact that students are being rude to his son....he would give them a.....suitable punishment I'm sure..." McGonagall smirked.....she smirked!!  
  
Damien blinked at her. He had never seen Professor McGonagall act like this....at least not to Harry Potter that is.....but to Damien Snape she seemed...sympathetic and more free spoken, as if she didn't care if Damien saw her act....well....human...  
  
He smiled and said, "No I've just heard from Malf-Draco about the prejudice against Slytherin...." McGonagall nodded "Yes people do seem to have it for them just because You-Know-Who was in that house...."  
  
She trailed off as the shuffling of footsteps and a dull murmur was heard. The Transfiguration Professor immediately straightened up and her gaze hardened slightly, making her look like the McGonagall Damien was so accustomed to seeing. She turned to the papers on her desk. Damien quickly took his seat and morphed his face to a bored, annoyed expression.  
  
The door flew open and the sixth year students flocked in, there were students from all houses instead of just two now. Malfoy immediately hurried over to Damien and sat down beside him, smirking as if he knew something that no one else did. Damien rubbed the place between his eyes tiredly.  
  
Hermione and Ron were the last to file in, both of them looking grim without their third friend with them. They walked over to the last available seats.....directly behind Malfoy and Damien.  
  
Damien took a deep breath, he could do this.....he could pretend to act cold to his best friends if it meant that he wouldn't be revealed right? Right?! Right....  
  
"Now, you have been chosen to be in my top class because of your results on your OWL's so I expect you all to achieve at least an E or higher on all of your work....I will not tolerate students who slack off and don't work so if you are going to not work then you should get out now....." She paused but no one moved. No one dared to....indeed she looked quite a bit more stricter this year.  
  
McGonagall cleared her throat, "Now, today you will be learning a useful little transfiguration spell that would come in handy in a battle.....now Mr. Thomas pass out the rocks...go on now!"  
  
Damien smirked slightly as Dean passed out rocks of all different sizes. Finally, they would be using something......useful for once. Professor McGonagall walked to the front of the class. "Now you must tap the rock four times before saying the incantation which will turn your rock into a sword......"  
  
She then took out her wand and pointed it at a rock laying on her desk. "Watch closely now.....one...two..three....Swordonia!"  
  
She tapped the rock with her wand four times and on the fourth the rock morphed into a long, dangerous looking sword. It was silver and looked quite sharp, its well polished gold handle gleaming brightly even though the lighting in the room wasn't that good.  
  
Professor McGonagall turned to the rest of them, "Well what are you waiting for? Go on now! You cant learn a spell unless you try it!" There were murmurs of interest and excitement about the prospect of learning something that could actually be used in a real duel or battle. The room was soon filled with many 'Swordonia!'s though no one prevailed.  
  
Hermione had definitely perked up, while Professor McGonagall had been demonstrating the spell she had been practically sitting on the edge of her seat in exhilaration. She was now watching as Ron murmured the spell over and over, each time failing with slight amusement.  
  
"What are you smiling about?" Ron snapped, obviously miffed about his girlfriend finding entertainment in his flaw. Hermione merely shook her head, still smiling though it didn't reach her eyes. Damien could tell that she was trying her hardest to be cheerful for Ron's sake, though it wasn't working much......  
  
Hermione sighed, "Honestly Ron! One day your going to blow something up by saying the incantation wrong or doing the wand movements improperly..."  
  
At that precise moment a loud BOOM filled the room. The students looked over to see Seamus, his hair tussled and his face blackened. Damien once again had a flash of déjà vu from their first year when they had been practicing the levitating charm.  
  
"I think we're going to need another rock over here Professor...." Dean Thomas said sheepishly as he eyed the remains of Seamus' rock sadly. The Slytherins snickered gleefully. Damien merely rolled his eyes and turned back to his rock (which he hadn't even tried transfiguring yet..) as he heard Professor McGonagall rant to Seamus about how he should pay more attention to the incantations and wrist movements before taking ten points from Gryffindor.  
  
The Slytherins snickered even more loudly as Seamus flushed. Hermione gave Ron a knowing glance as if to say 'you see? That could be you!' Ron looked highly insulted. "Well you try it then if your so smart! Go on!" he said heatedly to the muggle-born witch. Hermione smiled again, "Now Ron, you know very well what will happen.....I'll perform it correctly and you'll get mad.......and there isn't Harry around to help you distract a mountain troll this time......" She trailed off as if waiting for Harry to laugh or make a comment....but of course none came....  
  
Ron looked at the ground and awkwardly put an arm around her, "I miss him too..." he said quietly. Hermione sniffed and nodded before whipping out her wand and muttering, "Swordonia!" And sure enough, the rock morphed into a sword, though it was smaller then Professor McGonagall's.  
  
Damien looked determinedly at his rock as he fought the lump in his throat.... His eyes started to burn terribly. He took a deep breath before blinking a couple times and turned his attention over to Hermione and Ron once again, the former earning ten points for Gryffindor while being praised by her fellow classmates (except the Slytherins).  
  
Speaking of Slytherins Damien then realized that he hadn't seen any of Malfoy's bodyguards around since the Welcoming Feast. But of course the oafs didn't get into the NEWT classes and Damien felt rather relieved about it.  
  
Malfoy growled obviously furious at Hermione for perfecting the spell before him. "Filthy little Mudblood!" He spat angrily. "Always has to be the know-it-all! Hmph! Probably the only reason Weasel and Potty even put up with her is so they'll be guaranteed a passing grade! Its no wonder Potty abandoned the Weasel and his jumped up pet! Probably had enough of being second best!"  
  
Damien felt a surge of anger course through him as he squeezed his eyes shut again, clenching his teeth, and trying desperately to control his emotions but it was in vain as his rock in front of him exploded into bits of pebbles and dust.  
  
A couple students screamed and some ducked for cover. Even Malfoy backed off a bit. Professor McGonagall had paled as she stared at what was left of Damien's rock. "Mr. Snape....please see me after class...." She said shakily. He nodded slowly, he hadn't meant to loose control and he hated when he did....it scared him slightly to think that he didn't have control over some of his power.....  
  
Of course the students gradually went back to their work, throwing terrified glances at Damien every once and a while. Great. All he needed was for everyone to be scared of him..... Great first day this was turning out to be....and this was only the first class....  
  
Sighing in exasperation, Damien tapped his wand on Malfoy's rock and said,. "Swordonia!" The rock morphed into a sword, which Damien noticed was longer and looked more striking then Hermione's.  
  
He glanced at his two old friends behind him to find that Ron was glaring at him in hatred and Hermione was throwing uneasy looks at him.  
  
"Way to show Granger!" Malfoy whispered gleefully to Damien.  
  
The rest of the class was rather boring to Damien as he watched Malfoy struggle to transfigure his rock (which Professor McGonagall had restored to its natural form) not bothering to even help the blonde but rather watching in amusement as Malfoy fumed over not getting the spell correctly.  
  
Professor McGonagall assigned a twelve inch essay on the history of the Sword Spell for everyone but Hermione and Damien, who had been the only ones to get it right.  
  
The bell rang and the class filed out except for Damien and Malfoy. Damien sighed, not really up to putting up with the blonde. McGonagall luckily saved him, "Go on Mr. Malfoy! You'll see Mr. Snape at lunch!"  
  
Malfoy looked quite disgruntled but walked out of the classroom nevertheless. Professor McGonagall signed for Damien to sit down, he complied wearily.  
  
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, "Well Mr. Snape....I must say I am impressed!" Damien blinked, he had expected for his Professor to start lecturing him on controlling his magic or something like that.  
  
"You performed the Sword Spell perfectly and on your first try!"  
  
Damien blinked again and feigned ignorance, "What about that girl......Hermione is it? She got it right to...." Professor McGonagall gave a small chuckle. "Yes, Miss Granger almost always gets spells correctly on her first try.....she is a very bright girl, she has a lot of potential that's for sure....of course, she might have some competition this year..." She smiled at Damien.  
  
"Well that is all....you may go..."  
  
"But what about my rock exploding?"  
  
Professor McGonagall smiled once again, "Even the greatest wizards can loose control sometimes.....now hurry up! You don't want to be late for lunch..."  
  
Damien thought about Professor McGonagall's behavior toward 'Damien Snape' as he smirked slightly she seemed to like him a lot. That was good, at least he had one teacher who liked him so far....  
  
Damien decided to skip lunch and instead, heading for the library to check out some books. He rounded the corner and suddenly bumped into someone. He heard a small shriek as they were both sent sprawling to the floor.  
  
"Sorry...." Damien murmured indifferently as he started to walk away.  
  
"Hey Damien!"  
  
Damien froze and turned to see Ginny Weasley smiling up at him. "Oh hi Ginny....er...sorry about that..." he said scratching the back of his head. Ginny giggled and he desperately hoped he wasn't blushing.  
  
"Where are you going?" She asked. "Library...wasn't hungry..."  
  
"Well I'll escort you shall I? After all.....you don't know where the library is do you?"  
  
Damien shook his head and she smiled. "Follow me.."  
  
They walked to the library in silence and Ginny suddenly turned on him....her brown eyes suddenly serious. "You seem very familiar..." she said, her tone slightly suspicious. "You remind me of someone....."  
  
Damien swallowed nervously. Did she know? How would she know? Was he that obvious?! "....who?" he asked hesitantly.  
  
She eyed him, "One of my friends....he's.....gone to train somewhere this year....strange though...how you suddenly show up when he suddenly disappears..."  
  
Damien's heart jumped to his throat as he wrung his hands (which were behind his back) nervously. She went on, "Ron and Hermione don't suspect because for one thing, they're to caught up in each other to notice you that much and for another thing they're to worried about him...."  
  
"Who's 'him'?" Damien asked.  
  
Ginny didn't answer but instead said, "You cant fool me...."  
  
By that time they were in the library. Damien's insides felt like ice....How had she known? She knew him better then he thought.....  
  
After checking out his books he walked back to the Snake Pit, which was empty since lunch was still going on, and headed up to his room. Damien was so caught up in his thoughts about Ginny and his secret being revealed that he hadn't even realized that Ginny was still with him...  
  
He whirled around, almost knocking her over. The painting that blocked his room was open now.  
  
"What are you doing here?! You cant be in the Slytherin dorms they'll kill you and I really don't think that Ron would be happy if you were up here with me alone in my room!" he said hurriedly, before the other Slytherins wondered up to get their books for their classes.  
  
Ginny narrowed her eyes, "And how do you know about all that? You speak of it like your used to it!"  
  
Before Damien could respond Hedwig (who had been waiting patiently on his bed) flew up to greet him with a bundle of letters. Damien automatically reached out his arm for her to land on. Hermione's neat handwriting and Ron's sloppy handwriting were evident on a couple of envelopes along with some of Ginny's small handwriting as well.  
  
Ginny smiled widely.  
  
"I knew it!! Its you isn't it Harry!! Why didn't you tell me?! Why didn't you tell Ron and Hermione they've been worried sick!! And most of all why in the hell are you posing as Professor Snape's son?!!"  
  
() Whew!! Okay its like four in the morning so I am going to bed!  
  
Hope you enjoyed it!  
  
Please Review!  
  
Till next time 


	13. Chapter twelve Acceptance and a looong ...

Okay I am trying to put this up as fast as possible so I cant answer reviews personally this time.  
  
Thanks of course to all of my reviewers!!  
  
Chapter twelve- Acceptance and a looong flashback!  
  
Damien felt as if his insides had turned to lead and he knew that he had paled at least three shades (if that were even possible). "I-I'm sure I have no idea what your talking about.....Weasley!" Damien tried to recover by acting cold. "All I know is that Dumbledore's Golden Boy is off training somewhere! You disgust me!"  
  
But the damage was already done. Ginny smirked knowingly and folded her arms, seemingly unaffected by Damien's rant. "I know its you.....I sent that letter to Harry yesterday and Ron and Hermione sent those to him earlier this morning! Your him I know you are! Why are you trying to hide it?! Don't your friends meant anything to you?"  
  
Damien lowered his head in shame and sadness. Ginny wasn't mad at him just......disappointed. "I wanted to tell you and Ron and Hermione that it was me......but Dumbledore and Severus wouldn't let me...."  
  
Ginny blinked, "But why? Why did you need to hide in the first place?! And why on earth are you calling Professor Snape by his first name?! And why did you pose as his son? AND where were you this summer?!!" She said this all very quickly and in one breath. Ginny looked at him pleadingly....expecting to get an answer from him.  
  
Damien sighed, he might as well tell her she deserved to know.....after all she did figure it out....  
  
"Gin....I'm so sorry....I really wanted to tell you guys but....." he trailed off and sighed, he had to get this over with..... "Gin.....I went over to the Snape Manor this summer and just got used to calling Professor Snape Severus...."  
  
Ginny's eyes widened, "Why didn't you tell-" "I wanted to!" Damien burst out and Ginny jumped slightly. "I really did! I practically begged Dumbledore and Severus but they said it wasn't safe!"  
  
"Why isn't it safe? Why did you have to go over there?"  
  
Damien paused and looked down at the floor. He felt Ginny's hand under his chin as she gently pushed his head up to meet her gaze. She was looking at him in concern. "What happened? Was it your relatives?" she whispered. "What did they do to you?"  
  
Damien swallowed and looked away from her concerned chocolate colored eyes. "They....were...unkind to me..." he murmured quietly and Ginny gasped.  
  
"Y-You mean they...they......hit you?!" She whispered in shock. Damien didn't say anything and she suddenly through her arms around him.  
  
"I'm so sorry!! Ron and Hermione and Fred and George and me all knew that they were doing something bad ever since the beginning of my first year! We tried to tell them we really did but they wouldn't listen! They kept saying that it was for the best!! Oh Harry I'm so sorry....." She ranted as tears poured down her face. Damien felt comforted by her concern and felt a warmth in the pit of his stomach.  
  
"Its okay Gin...I'm alright" Ginny released him and wiped her eyes. "Are you sure? What about Snape? He wasn't to horrible to you was he?" Damien had to smile at her caring nature and he shook his head. "No, Severus was.....almost.....nice I guess.."  
  
Ginny gave him a look as if to say 'ya and You-Know-Who needs a teddy bear to get to sleep...'  
  
Damien chuckled slightly at her dazed expression.  
  
Her gaze turned serious again. "Why are you hiding? And why are you pretending to be Snape's son?" Damien hoped that she had by some miracle forgotten about this.....would she hate him? No. Not Ginny he knew she wouldn't.....She was always so kind and caring and understanding......she would understand.....  
  
"Gin....I'm not posing as Severus' son..." He murmured, looking her square into the eye.  
  
Ginny's eyes quickly reached the size of golf balls, she gasped and her hands flew up to her mouth. She sat there like that for a couple of minutes, her eyes comically large and her hands glued to her mouth. Damien felt a slight sinking feeling.  
  
Ginny slowly lowered her hands, her eyes gradually returning to normal. She blinked, "Well........that's certainly....irony....a-are you sure? I mean.....this isn't some joke that Fred and George put you up to is it?" She said this all in a quiet, dead serious voice.  
  
Damien shook his head, "No....this is my real appearance......my mother was good at charms...." Ginny continued to stare numbly at him.  
  
"O-Okay....I think I'll go to class now.....toodles..." She seemed to be in a daze of some sort as she glided out of the room, much like Professor Trelawney did.....  
  
"Gin wait!" Damien called desperately as he hurried after the girl. He caught her in the hall that passed by the Snake Pit. "Gin.....please don't tell anyone about this! You cant! Both me and Severus would be in a lot of danger if this information came to light...."  
  
Ginny seemed to snap out of the daze that she was in and she gave her head a small shake. "So.....you really are.....his son aren't you?" She whispered finally. Damien nodded, praying that she would run away, terrified. She didn't, indeed Ginny just stared at him for a couple minutes before a slow, awkward smile came across her young face.  
  
"Well that explains your temper at least...."  
  
Damien nearly hugged her, he had never felt so relieved...  
  
"So...your okay with this...." "Of course I am..........Damien... Its definitely going to take some getting used to but I'll manage..."  
  
A wide grin appeared on Damien's face, "Thanks......." He whispered. "Its good to have someone else who knows and is okay about it....." She smiled and they both turned to the sound of footsteps and talking coming their way.  
  
"You'd better go...." Damien said to Ginny. "Don't want you to get in any trouble...."  
  
She smiled and started to walk away....but turned and hurried over to him to give him a hug before saying quietly, "Its good to have you back.....I was worried....Your secrets safe with me...." With that she gave him a kiss on the cheek before turning and hurrying away, blushing.  
  
Damien stood there, frozen in spot as he slowly reached to put a hand on the place where Ginny had kissed him. A wide grin once again spread across his face, much larger then the one before. He was however startled rudely out of his thoughts when Malfoy came up to him and said, "Come on! We're going to be late for Herbology!"  
  
The Previous Night Sev's POV  
  
Severus bid farewell to Damien before whirling around and heading for his dungeons. He only hoped that the boy could keep his cover from being blown. He did have confidence in Damien though.....the boy had most definitely proved it over the summer.....  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
Severus growled as he checked the Living Room clock.  
  
Great! Potter was late! The boy had skipped dinner but Severus really didn't care about that.....all he cared about was teaching his son Occlumency so that their cover wouldn't be blown at Hogwarts.  
  
He needed to teach him how to control his emotions......Harry got angry way to easily and Severus needed to teach him how to mask his feelings so they didn't show on his face.  
  
Severus had vowed that he would go slightly easier on the boy due to the rather disturbing memory of Harry's that Severus had experienced last week of the boy being beaten up by his cousin's gang. Severus flinched at the thought. How many times had Potter and Black done the exact same thing to Severus himself? Harry of course had seen one of the many memories of Severus being humiliated by the two......Severus had never thought that he would have seen similar memories between Harry and himself but now that he had, he felt like it may have done Harry some good to know that he wasn't the only one who knew how it felt to be humiliated and beat up....  
  
Severus was startled out of his thoughts as an out of breath Harry flew into the Living Room. Severus arched an eyebrow at the raven haired boy, who was now panting heavily as he kneeled over.  
  
"Sorry.....Severus....I..fell...asleep...."  
  
Harry paused to take in a couple more deep breaths before looking up at his Professor. Severus raised his eyebrows at the boy. "And why were you sleeping? Staying up to late are you?"  
  
Harry closed his eyes briefly before saying, "No sir...Severus I just don't sleep very well...you know my.....nightmares...." He trailed off and Severus scowled in anger, "Still having nightmares? I told you to clear your mind before going to bed every night! Do you listen to anything I say Potter? I would have thought that you might actually put at least a little effort into Occlumency considering what happened last year...." Severus sneered at Harry. "Apparently I was wrong...."  
  
Harry stared at him for a couple minutes but didn't react. "I do practice sir.." Harry said in a calm voice. "There not Voldemort related, their about Sirius........"  
  
"Don't say his name!" Severus snapped predictably and Harry sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you not to say his name!"  
  
Harry said nothing, he didn't even flinch. 'Fools wear their emotions on their sleeves' he remembered Severus telling him. No. He wouldn't make the same mistake again, he wouldn't display his emotions if it meant the safety of his friends.  
  
"Legilimens!"  
  
Harry was startled out of his thoughts as the spell hit him. Damn! He should have been on guard!  
  
It was the summer after his fourth year, he was in the Order's HQ screaming at Ron and Hermione for 'leaving him in the dark.'  
  
He was in Dumbledore's office, staring at the pensive at a small, misty figure of Professor Trelawney.  
  
'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches......Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies....and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not....and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives....The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.....'  
  
Suddenly Harry found himself once again back in the Living Room. Severus was staring at him, an odd expression on his face....  
  
"That.....that prophecy....was it....it was referring to you?" Harry slowly nodded, studying the expression on his father's face. Severus paled and turned away quickly. An idea suddenly struck Harry.  
  
"Is it true? Before my birth did you defy Vol-You-Know-Who three times?" Severus sighed and turned back around to face Harry. "I don't know....but it really wouldn't matter...." Harry blinked, "Yes it would! It would change everything! You don't understand!" "I understand perfectly Potter!" Severus growled through clenched teeth. "The prophecy says 'born to those who have thrice defied the Dark Lord' I fathered you Potter, yes but you were not born to me, you were born to Lily and James....." Harry looked at the floor, ".....oh..."  
  
Severus sighed, "We've wasted time.....Legilimens!" Harry braced himself this time as the spell hit him.....unfortunately, no matter how much he braced himself, it would never prepare him for the first memory that surfaced.....  
  
Once again, Harry found himself at the Department of Mysteries, he watched as the second spell hit Sirius in the chest and he watched helplessly as his Godfather flew through the ragged veil once again.....  
  
Harry clenched his teeth against the cry of agony that welled up in his throat. NO! He HAD to stay focused, he couldn't let his emotions get the better of him! Concentrating with every cell of his being, Harry fought the burning sensation in his eyes as he finally made out Severus muttering under his breath, "Stupefy!" he yelled, barely even remembering taking out his wand.  
  
The memory faded away and the both of them were soon back in the Living Room once again.  
  
Severus frowned thoughtfully at Harry. He had expected the boy to give up after he relieved the memory of Black dieing but he had kept on going and had even managed to ward Severus off. Severus felt a faint glow of pride inside of him but it was gone as soon as it came......  
  
Harry was standing exactly where he had been before....staring straight ahead.....his face controlled and emotionless. Severus nodded, "Well done Harry....."  
  
Harry nodded, his face still impassive but Severus could almost feel the turmoil of pain and agony radiating off from his son. Severus walked over to Harry and slowly, very hesitantly placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. Harry looked at him with glazed eyes, trying his hardest to not break down once again.  
  
It was all in vain though as Harry blinked and a couple tears sprung from his eyes and slowly poured down his cheeks. Suddenly Harry found himself sinking to the floor, sobbing. He hadn't even cried for Sirius ever since the man had died.... He had always kept it locked up inside of him and now the dam finally broke and all the pain and sadness that Harry had been experiencing since that night had suddenly broke free at the first gesture of even the slightest bit of affection from his father.  
  
Severus was at loss, what was he supposed to do now? He couldn't very well leave him there but Severus hadn't opened up to anyone in so long that he now thought that he had forgotten how to comfort someone.....especially a child....a broken child who had been through so much...  
  
Slowly, trying to keep his distance from the boy but also trying to be close enough to comfort him, Severus bent to Harry's side and moved his hand that had been on the boy's shoulder, to Harry's back and started to pat it gently in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "Harry....even though I say that you shouldn't display your emotions...it doesn't meant that you should keep them locked up inside of you....it'll eat you alive....I should know....I did that to myself when I was your age and now look at how I am....do you want to end up like me? Cold and emotionless?" He said this in a placid voice trying to calm the hysterical boy in some way.  
  
Harry continued to sob quietly though and Severus didn't know what else he could do so he merely sat there, a hand on the boy's back as he allowed the boy let all of his emotional turmoil out of him that had been haunting him for months.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Harry started to calm down and Severus noticed that the boy was starting to lean on his hand slightly. For some reason this started Severus and he quickly pulled his hand away, unfortunately Harry was leaning on his hand and fell onto the floor unceremoniously.  
  
Harry looked up from the floor to Severus (who had stood up so Harry wouldn't fall on him) with hurt in his eyes. Severus sighed and nodded to Harry, "Lessons are over for tonight" he told the teen quietly.  
  
Harry slowly stood up, looking quite embarrassed from his break down but still a little hurt because of the fact that Severus let him fall to the floor....  
  
"Good night Severus" Harry said emotionlessly when they reached their rooms. Severus nodded, "Good night Harry" before turning around and all but slamming the door in Harry's face.  
  
Harry sighed and turned to his room, closing the door quietly.  
  
Severus sighed as he sank into his bed once he was in his room. He was starting to get attached to the boy, there was no denying it no matter how much he wanted to.... Severus hadn't been close to anyone in a long while.....ever since his mother died no one had shown that they actually cared about him (except Albus that is....).  
  
Severus now felt uncomfortable to be so close to someone now......this was Potter after all.....not anything special about him now was there? Was there? Of course there wasn't......  
  
No. There was NO way that he was going to actually follow Albus' plan and get attached to the boy.......NO way in the hell........  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
Severus smirked slightly at his antics towards the boy over the summer. He had been so cautious because he was afraid that he WAS going to follow the old man's plan and that he WAS going to get attached to the boy.....  
  
Heh. He had sworn that he wouldn't get attached to the boy.....Even now he swore he wouldn't get attached to his son......even though he had grown fond of Damien....but you really couldn't help developing some kind of fondness for a person that you had spent a month with and who you had seen every day of the month......  
  
Severus shook his head....he had these damn paternal feelings... Sometimes he wished he could just go back to the uncaring, cold bastard at least it would be a lot easier and less complicated.....  
  
What would Lily think of him now? She would probably beam at him and say something like, 'I'm so proud of you Sev! You actually grew feelings! I knew you would eventually!' Severus snorted at the thought of his feisty red headed old friend....he missed her....  
  
Severus was suddenly startled out of his thoughts as he felt a familiar pain shooting through his arm...  
  
Damn it!  
  
The Dark Lord was calling..........  
  
() Mwahahahahaaaa!!  
  
Big trouble for Sevvie......  
  
Longer chapter this time!  
  
I do hope he wasn't to awfully OOC because I wanted for him to feel some fondness for Harry and I don't think that he would leave Harry sitting in the middle of the floor crying but that may just be me.......  
  
Well review! Please! Please!  
  
Till next time.... 


	14. Chapter thirteen Voldemort and forgotten...

Hey you guys! I am soooooo sorry for the wait but my computer completely crashed! It really sucks cause I had a huge report on there and now I have to retype it! Not only that but I now have to go to the library to at least have access to the Internet! Then when I finally got through with this chapter the computers were down at the library!

Okay Okay I'll stop complaining now! I know how annoying that gets!

OKAY Answers to my reviews..

Hakkai - Gojyo - Goku - Sanzo- Thanks

wpd147- Actually I have only read one other severitus challenge story besides mine that Harry's name is really Damien.

SwedenGirl- Here's the update sorry it was so late!

enb2004- Thanks!

Clutchy- Thanks and I'll try to but I can't get on the internet that much anymore....

Mikee- Thanks

MajinSakuko- Yes I know about the spelling mistakes and I apologize. I know that I have made some mistakes and I'm sorry but this is my first story so you'll have to forgive me Thanks for the review.

Awen- Thanks!

Makalani Astral- Me to.

barbarataku- Thanks for the review!

charlie-potter1- Thanks and no Sev doesn't die!

leggylover03- Thanks! As for Ron and Hermione well....you'll just have to find out.

SnakeDynasty- Thanks!

noone- Thank you! I was thinking of doing something like that...

Kamorie- Thanks you!

Anarane Anwamane- Thanks for the review.

Starangel2106- Thank you

Lisa Lovegood- Thanks and I'm am really sorry about the wait, I'll try to update more soon and thanks for reviewing for every chapter!

Wow! Thats alot of reviews! I'm sorry I couldnt answer the reviews and more detail but I kinda have limited time on the internet.....

Chapter fourteen- The Dark Lord and the forgotten Malfoy

Severus stepped into the meeting room of the Riddle House after apparating to the place. He glanced around to see every Death Eater from the Dark Lord's inner circle formed in a ring around the Dark Lord himself. Severus took a deep breath before occluding his mind, stepping up to his master', and kneeling down to kiss the monster's robes.

"Ah Ssseveruss.you come at lasst.." Voldemort's voice was cold, barely above a whisper as he glared at the Potion's Master. Severus knelt down farther, his hands pressed flat against the wooden floor.

"Forgive me my Lord...I was on a mission for Dumbledore during the summer with the werewolf.I couldn't slip away unnoticed..forgive me Master..." Severus said this all in an emotionless voice, spitting out the headmasters name like a swear word. The Dark Lord loved it when his servants were scared and Severus wouldn't give the bastard the pleasure.

"Crucio!" The Dark Lord hissed lazily.

Severus braced himself for the expected curse that was flung his way, clenching his teeth so tightly that he feared they would crack from the force. A scream welled up in his throat but he stubbornly forced it back down.

He wouldn't give the bastard the pleasure..

"Ssseveruss my ssslippery ssnake.when were you planning to tell me about thisss sssson of yoursss.?" the Dark Lord hissed after lifting the curse, his crimson eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Severus closed his eyes briefly before beginning, "I was unaware of his existence my Lord...I had a brief affair with a muggle-woman..she never informed me about his birth..he has been living with his mother, attending a privet school in America all his life..until she died a couple months ago, he was then sent to live with me at the end of the summer.." Severus mentally prayed that the monster would believe the story.

Voldemort had stayed silent through Severus' explanation. He was looking at Severus through narrowed, red, calculating eyes. Finally he snapped "Tell me Snape" Severus flinched when he heard the Dark Lord call him by his last name.never a good sign. "Ssince when do I allow my Death Eatersss to do such a disssgraceful thing asss to lower themssselvess sso much that they interact with filthy creaturess ssuch asss mugglesss?" Voldemort sounded absolutely repulsed.

Severus both mentally cheered and flinched, the Dark Lord believed his story, but he sounded furious with him...never a good sign.

"Forgive me my Lord...I.I wasn't..myself that evening.." Severus said with feigned sincerity. Out of the corner of his eye, Severus saw a Death Eater shift slightly, a couple strands of silvery blonde hair escaping the silver Death Eater mask. Lucius Malfoy..

"Crucio!"

Severus once again squirmed on the ground painfully until Voldemort released him of the dreadful curse.

"I am debating on whether or not I should believe you Ssseveruss." the creature hissed threateningly. "You have been forcing me to question whom your loyalties lie to Ssnape..." Severus paled under his mask. "Prove yourssself to uss that you are ssstill loyal...bring your ssson to be marked when Lucius bringsss hisss on the first meeting in December and you shall have proven yourssself..or have you forgotten that all Death Eaterss children get marked when they are in their sssixth year?"

Severus could have sworn that his heart had stopped for a full five seconds after the Dark Lord's order...he had forgotten that Damien was to be marked since he was a Death Eater's' son.. He shivered at the thought of Damien having to go through what he, Severus had been going through all these years...Merlin what was he going to do? Nevertheless, Severus nodded respectfully and murmured, "Yes my Lord..I live to serve you and only you Master.."

The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes.

"Crucio!"

Voldemort looked at Severus' squirming form with slight interest before lifting it once again. "We shall sssee whom you are loyal to Ssseveruss..you're dismissed..."

Severus stood up shakily and bowed before the monster once again before apparating with a crack'.

Damien hurriedly made his way to the Hospital Wing as he anxiously wrung his hands every once and a while. He had had a vision of course and had seen everything that had happened to Severus..which was strange because Damien thought that he wasn't supposed to have visions if he occluded his mind every night. Well, Voldemort was most likely better at Occlumency then Severus was no doubt about that...and it was possible that Voldemort had unknowingly given him the vision.

Damien, of course, had immediately hurried to the headmaster's office to see if he could catch his father only to find the headmaster coming back from the hospital wing. Professor Dumbledore had told him that he had found Severus unconscious in the Entrance Hall.obviously Voldemort hadn't taken Damien's existence well... So, after hurriedly telling the headmaster what he had seen in his vision, Damien had made a dash for the hospital wing.

He walked quickly through the doors that lead to the Wing and immediately set eyes on Severus' pale form. Madame Pomfrey had obviously given him a couple of potions (which Damien could now identify as a potion for the Crucious Curse and a Sleeping Potion) and Severus was now asleep.

Poppy bustled in, "Well its nice to see that Severus finally has some company..poor man, he deserves someone to care for him after all he does." the nurse shot a pitying look at Severus' form before flushing slightly as she realized what she had just said. She immediately switched into nurse mode. "If he does happen to wake up, make sure that he does not get out of bed! I need to go to refill my potion's supply since our Potion's Master is going to be out of commission for a bit..He needs his rest and Lord knows that man will escape the first chance he gets! Honestly! Severus can be so stubborn at times!" and with that she walked into her office, grumbling angrily about Severus.

Damien felt relived that the nurse had left, he didn't think he could have standing her constant clucking... Damien pulled up a chair beside Severus' bed and sat down as he thought about what the nurse had said (for once). Severus risked so much yet no one realized it and almost everyone treated him like a bastard..Damien knew..he used to be one of those people. But now he knew that there was more to Severus and that he actually COULD act human..even almost kind at times...

Damien felt a tingle of fear course through him as he remembered what had happened at the Death Eater meeting..so he was to be marked come December..and if he didn't get marked then his father would be tortured and killed..wonderful. Damien huffed, even as a different person with a different name and a completely different life everything still always happened to him.

He was suddenly startled out of his thoughts by a movement on the bed in front of him. Severus was stirring slightly, obviously dreaming his face was shifting between fear and pain as he moaned slightly... "Noo." he moaned, clutching the sheets so tightly that his knuckles were white. "No...I'm sorry...so.so sorry.forgive me." Damien blinked and shook his father gently.

"Severus." he said gently. "Come on its only a dream..wake up." The man's eyes flickered open slightly and focused on Damien, who was leaning over him, looking at him in concern.

"Are you alright?" Damien asked quietly. Severus shot up immediately, his onyx eyes darting around in panic until he laid eyes on Damien and instantly relaxed. "Are you alright?" Damien asked once again and Severus nodded slowly before sinking back into the comfort of the bed only to shoot up once again.

"I have to report to the Headmaster!" he said hurriedly as he made to get out of bed. Damien gently pushed him back down, "Don't worry, its all taken care of.." "How?" "I had a vision.." Severus looked at him with wide eyes, "Y-you saw..?" He murmured sounding slightly faint. Damien nodded, "Yes and its okay..for now besides I am under strict orders to keep you in bed!" Damien smiled slightly and Severus once again sank gratefully back into the bed, though he looked slightly bothered.

"Go to sleep Severus." Damien ordered the man and Severus started to protest before he obeyed appreciatively.

Severus let his eyes fall shut again and started to fall asleep, feeling a slight warmth inside him at the thought that there was someone actually waiting for him to recover other then the headmaster... At least he felt like he was actually protecting someone with these damn spying duties..

Damien (for once in his life) felt thankful that Malfoy woke him up. He probably would have been late. Damien had stayed in the Hospital Wing all night and had fallen asleep on a very uncomfortable chair only to wake up at three in the morning with his back screaming and not able to get back to sleep till five.

So he was having a bad morning with a sore back and lack of sleep. Malfoy apparently seemed to sense that since the blonde didn't question him at all. Owls flooded in the Great Hall as usual bringing mail and a tawny, brown owl dropped a letter by Malfoy's toast and perched himself on the blonde's shoulder. Malfoy reached up to pet Talon' before another owl, a gray common one, landed by Malfoy with the Daily Prophet.

"You still get that junk?" Damien murmured and Malfoy shrugged, "I like to see if they're having a go at Potter sometimes" he said, smirking slightly and Damien felt anger well up in him, he forced himself to chew on his bacon instead of slamming the other boys face into the table.

Malfoy pulled out a leather wallet to get a Knut for the owl and Damien raised his eyebrows, "Wizards use wallets?" he asked curiously and Malfoy shrugged, "Some do but I prefer them.." The boy pulled out a bronze knut and put it into the owl's small bag that was tied around it. The owl immediately took flight and Damien watched as Malfoy fumbled his wallet and dropped it onto the table, some Sickles and pictures slipping out of it and onto the floor.

"Damn!" Malfoy growled and scooped up the money quickly before any other Slytherin saw it. Damien reached under the table to get the fallen coins and pictures. "Thanks" Malfoy grumbled and Damien was to distracted to be shocked as he stared at one of the pictures with interest.

It was a picture of a very pretty woman. She looked in her early twenties and had straight, shiny, white-blonde hair that fell down to the end of her back and curled slightly at the tips. Her eyes were blue but not like Draco or Lucius Malfoy's cold, ice blue eyes. Instead they were a deep sky-blue that seemed full of life and kindness. Her skin was pale but it just made her look more like an angel. She had a blue summer dress on that matched her eyes perfectly and was waving and smiling at the camera happily.

"Who is that?" Damien asked Malfoy as he stared at the pretty woman. Malfoy took the picture and sighed, "She was my Aunt.." Damien blinked, ".er..was?" "Well she would have been...she died before I was born...her name was Cassandra she was my father's sister.. I don't really know much about her cause Father doesn't like to talk about her much, she's a traitor and he hates her.

"How did she die?" Damien asked. "The Dark Lord.." Malfoy said with a shrug. "You see, she was all for the light side because she couldn't stand hurting people, she tried to convince my father the same but he wouldn't listen..he tried to tell her that the Dark Lord would kill her if she kept supporting the light side but she didn't listen...father sometimes says that she was to stubborn for her own good. Anyway, father was furious with her and they lost contact with each other and grew apart..and then one day, when father was called to a meeting, she was there..they tortured and killed her..father helped..after that, mother told me that he become so cold and uncaring and threw himself into devoting his life to the Dark Lord.."

Damien pondered slightly through Malfoy's tale...so that's why the senior Malfoy was so cold..because his sister had betrayed' him and he had killed her, leaving him like an empty shell, with no emotion..Damien shivered at the thought of doing something like that to Hermione, whom he loved like a sister.

"Hey! You play Quidditch?" Malfoy asked, changing the subject as he hastily shoved the picture back into his wallet. Damien's emerald eyes lit up in excitement, "Are you kidding? Everyone plays Quidditch!" Malfoy smirked at the other wizard's comment, "Obviously you haven't seen Weasley fly..he's the Gryffindor Keeper and he's only caught one ball! It was just his luck that it was the Quidditch final! I still think that he had to sell his house just to buy the stupid broomstick! And he's riding one of the older models! I mean why buy a broomstick when it's the slowest one on the market?! Then again, you cant expect more from a Weasley! They got more children then they can afford! Maybe they should put Weasley or his sister up for adoption! They'd probably make more money from that then their bum of a father could make in a decade! Honestly! Working with muggles ! How pathetic can you get? I am ashamed to call them pure-bloods when they act as if their mudbloods!" Malfoy ranted furiously and Damien had to clinch his fists to keep from punching Malfoy's pale, pointed face.

"Kindly cease from insulting Ron, Ginny, or Hermione...I don't understand what you have against them, I met them on the train and they didn't seem so bad." Damien said in a mock confused voice. Malfoy looked at Damien as if he had grown two heads. "Are you nuts?! Do you realize what kind of reputation you have here?! Almost everyone in the school fears you because of your father! Do you want to throw that all away because you've been hanging out with a Mudblood and two Mudblood lovers!" Damien sighed and rolled his eyes, "I will never understand what Gryffindors and Slytherins, and Purebloods and Muggle-borns have against each other.." Malfoy looked at him once again as if he were a basilisk. Damien shrugged, "Hey you know I cant help it! I was raised by a muggle remember!" Malfoy just shook his head, "You are one weird kid, Damien" he murmured faintly.

Damien merely shrugged.

() Okay I know I spelled a couple things wrong and I know Sev, Damien, and Malfoy may have been OOC. Well I know it but what do you think?! Also I made a challenge for all you other writers out there. Its in my bio so check it out.

Review and tell me!

Till next time!

BYE!!!!! J


	15. Chapter fourteen Love and Occlumency

Oh my gosh!!! I have 200 reviewers!! Many thanks to everyone who reviewed!! ( I wont be able to answer your reviews personally this time since I do not have very much time with the Internet (grr!) and I am trying to get this chapter out as soon as I can because of the long wait last time.  
  
Disclaimer- Don't own it! I'm broke! sob....... Wish I did but I don't.........  
  
Chapter fourteen- Love and Occlumency  
  
Halloween came and went quickly, sneaking up on them like a cat and soon, Damien found himself replacing his short-sleeved tee shirts with turtlenecks.  
  
The Forbidden Forest was beautiful during the autumn, the leaves on the many types of trees no longer the rich green but instead the apple-red and golden color that compared greatly to the sunsets that would bathe the grounds of Hogwarts in a red-orange glow and students were once again getting settled into their classes.  
  
Damien and Malfoy (who still insisted on following him like a lost puppy) arrived in the Great Hall in the now usual fashion, with Malfoy chattering continually and Damien ignoring him.  
  
Damien glanced around uneasily at everyone, they seemed more excited for some reason, kids whispering excitedly to one another. "Wonder what's going on..." Damien murmured, meaning for the question to be rhetorical but as usual, Malfoy answered, "Your guess is as good as mine.....maybe they're finally sacking that oaf, Hagrid....he's a horrible teacher....be glad that you don't have him...."  
  
Damien sighed as he fought down the dull anger, he was now pretty much used to Malfoy comments, he did his best to ignore them....  
  
After having a quick meal, the two boys started to make their way to their first class when a feminine voice called out, "Hey Damien!" Malfoy glanced over at the youngest Weasley girl who was making her way toward them and murmured, "Incoming Weasel....watch it, you might get rabies..."  
  
"Malfoy would you please keep to yourself for once!" Damien hissed at the blonde. He hadn't talked to Ginny in forever (not counting letters) and he didn't want the git to scare her away.  
  
He smiled warmly to the red-head as she approached them. "Hey Gin, how've you been doing?" She returned the smile, "Fine 'Damien' but there's a Halloween Dance coming up!" Damien arched an eyebrow, "Really? We've never had one befor....." He immediately cut off as Ginny stepped on his foot, glancing at Malfoy cautiously.  
  
Damn.  
  
The blonde didn't seem to notice, either that or he thought that Damien had been talking about his old school.....  
  
"Good, good you've given the morning report so shoo now! Go on!" Malfoy said dismissively, waving his hand as if Ginny were one of his house elves.  
  
"Please excuse him, Gin....he doesn't have any manners...." Damien said, throwing Malfoy a glare.  
  
The bell rang and Damien sadly bid Ginny good-bye as he and Malfoy made their way to their first class of the day, Potions.  
  
As they made their way toward the dungeons Malfoy asked, "Why are you suddenly all chummy with the weasel girl?" Damien closed his eyes briefly before replying, "She just doesn't seem all that bad and she was one of the first people I met here...." He trailed off, thinking of Hermione and Ron.....he really missed them and hadn't spoken to them much since the train ride, well at least not to Ron, he and Hermione had paired up a couple times in Ancient Ruins and they had talked but Damien didn't share the bond with her that 'Harry' did. Correction......yes Ron had talked to him a couple of times, whenever Damien was seen with Ginny he always yelled at him....if that counted...  
  
They entered the classroom to see that they were the last ones to arrive but luckily, Professor Snape hadn't arrived yet.  
  
Damien took his usual seat in the back, across from Ron and Hermione. Malfoy sat beside him as usual and the door banged open loudly causing all of them (except Damien) to jump as Professor Snape entered.  
  
He looked exhausted, and grouchy. Severus had been up most of the night trying to figure out a solution to their main problem, how to avoid getting Damien marked but still seem loyal to the Dark Lord....  
  
They had talked about it a lot with the headmaster and had yet to come up with a plan.....damn, Damien was to be marked in a little more then a month.....  
  
Damien shot a concerned look at his father as the man merely waved his wand at the board and mumbled, "Invisibility Potion. Instructions on the board. End of class. Turn in..." with that said he seated himself at his desk gratefully.  
  
"Tired Severus?" Damien smirked at his father's slightly disheveled look as the rest of the class filed out. The man merely sneered as he sorted through the newly made potions. Severus picked up one of the corked vials and showed it to his son with a sigh,  
  
"Honestly....how Longbottom can make a potion gray when its supposed to be pink I will never know....."  
  
Damien huffed, scowling in a very Snape-like manner, "Well maybe if you didn't single him out so much then he'd be able to work without trembling, those not dropping to much of an ingredient into his potion..."  
  
"Well I cant just stopped picking on him then I'd lose my stress reliever...besides I'm a 'Death Eater' remember?"  
  
"Keeping up appearances for certain people doesn't include singling Neville out.....you only need to favor Slytherin and treat Gryffindors like scum......you don't treat other Gryffindors like you treat him....and like you used to treat me...."  
  
Severus eyed his downcast expression, "Ahh, well you were a special case....you are to be here after dinner for your Occlumency lesson...."  
  
"But why?" Damien asked. "I thought we only did them once a week now and I've already done it this week...." Severus nodded, "Yes Damien you are very good at it, its just....you need to practice as much as you can..."  
  
Damien sighed but nodded, "Fine...I'll be here after dinner" he packed up his books into his bag. "I'll see you later Severus...."  
  
Severus nodded to him as he walked out of the classroom, determined to talk to Ginny before lunch started and Malfoy started to track him again.....  
  
"Would you like to go to the dance with me Gin?" Damien asked quickly, avoiding the blushing girl's eyes.  
  
Ginny blushed even deeper and smiled at him, "Sure I'd love to Harr-Damien but wont it look kinda...weird?" Damien shrugged, "They can go boil their heads in snake venom for all I care..." Ginny blinked and giggled, "I think the Serpents are getting to you Damien...."  
  
He merely smiled charmingly at her, "I'll take that as a complement..."  
  
The couple headed into the Great Hall, "I'll see you later Damien." Ginny said, "...you'd better get to your table before Ron sees you..." he smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before heading to the Slytherin table where Malfoy was gawking at him.  
  
"Seems your son has a thing for Miss Weasley, Severus.." Minerva said with a grin on her face as she watched a rather red but perky looking Ginny Weasley head over to the Gryffindor table, all smiles.  
  
Severus' lips quirked a millimeter, "Yes he does seem to be quite the charmer for the ladies...." He watched in amusement as a small group of Ravenclaw girls giggled as Damien passed and a group of Hufflepuff girls glared daggers at Ginny as she passed.  
  
He was glad that Damien had someone to talk to now....oh yes....Damien had told him about Ginny finding out about their secret and he got a little.....ticked off...  
  
Indeed he ranted to Dumbledore for hours about his son's irresponsibility whenever he saw a cute girl and had probably yelled at Damien for maybe two hours which finally ended when Severus pounded his fist on the table, causing Damien to flinch violently and making him realize that he couldn't act this way in front of Damien after all the boy had been through....  
  
"What is up between you two?!" Malfoy hissed as Damien sat down.  
  
"Do you want to ruin the reputation you have here just because of the Weasel?!" Damien scowled at Malfoy, "Kindly refrain from insulting Gin like that...I still don't understand what you have against her, Ron, and Hemione as well as the other Gryffindors...."  
  
"Damien, for one thing they are Potter's friends and he's our future master's enemy okay?" Malfoy spoke in a very slow and clear voice as if Damien were a child. Damien stood from the table and snapped, "I really don't appreciate being treated like a child, Malfoy....I got it enough from my mother and now I get it from my father and I don't need it from you!" With that he strode out of the Great Hall and headed to Ancient Ruins.  
  
"Hey wait Damien!" Malfoy called running after him.  
  
"Hey look I'm sorry okay? I just don't want the Dark Lord to torture you to insanity for going to the dance with one of Potter's friends.....which is a possibility..." Damien stared at the blonde. Malfoy had APOLOGIZED??!! Now he'd seen it all..... "I don't need you looking after me all the freaking time Malfoy! I can take care of myself AND I can bare the consequences myself! I know what's at stake and frankly I don't care!"  
  
Malfoy stared open-mouthed at him as he hurried up the staircase to get away from the Malfoy. "You mean you don't care if he kills you?!" Damien shrugged, "We all have to die someday don't we Malfoy?" he grinned at the other boy.  
  
"It isn't something to joke around about Damien!" the other snapped harshly. "If you do something that the Dark Lord doesn't like then he will make you pay! And your father wont help you if he does!"  
  
Damien whirled around furiously, "Good! I don't need his help!"  
  
He left Malfoy gawking at him in the hallway as he headed for Ancient Ruins in hopes of talking with Hermione. Actually, the truth was was that he did care if the Dark Lord killed him.......I mean who wouldn't?! But he wasn't about to let the blonde know......  
  
He didn't really like Malfoy that much but he didn't want the boy to throw away his life like Severus did just because he wanted to impress his parents which was exactly the path that the blonde was leading himself too.  
  
Damien sighed and murumured, "Things to do: Number one, try to convince Malfoy that he shouldn't join the Dark Lord.....this is going to take a while...."  
  
Damien knocked on the door to his father's classroom. He heard a tired, "Enter" and walked in the room.  
  
His father looked worse then before, his greasy hair was matted against his forehead with sweat as he added the last ingredient to the Pepper-up Potion he was making.  
  
"Long day?" Damien asked teasingly as he walked in. The man merely sneered at him as he carefully ladled the potion into separate jars. "You know I could just come back another day...." Damien said, smirking at Severus. "Oh no, your not getting out of this that easily..."  
  
"But Severus I need to practice for the quidditch trials tomorrow!" he whined in a child-like voice. "You do want Slytherin to win the House Cup don't you?" Severus sighed and wiped his hands on a rag.  
  
"And here I thought you didn't want to go against Gryffindor?" he smiled at his son. Damien shrugged carelessly, "I really don't care now....as long as I can play quidditch...." Severus smirked at him and raised his want in one fluent motion and shouted.  
  
"Legilimens!"  
  
Damien barely had time to brace himself as the spell hit him...  
  
He was four, trembling in terror as he was being yelled at by Vernon because he had burnt their breakfast.....  
  
He was thirteen, in the shrieking shack with Sirius as he broke free of Ron and Hermione and yelled, "HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!!!!"  
  
Damien struggled to take control of the spell, but try as he may, he couldn't make out Severus yet.....  
  
He was fifteen in the Dursley's kitchen shortly after the dementer attack, staring at a howler that was addressed to Aunt Petunia, which promptly exploded, "REMEMBER MY LAST PETUNIA!!!!"  
  
He was at the Department of Mysteries, hatred coursing through his veins like liquid fire as he yelled at Bellatrix Lestrange, "Crucio!"  
  
"WHAT??!!!!"  
  
Damien felt as if he had been shoved forcefully in the chest as he stumbled back and hit a shelf of ingredients. Severus was staring at him with unmistakable fury and........terror?!  
  
"You performed the Cruciatus curse on Lestrange?!" he bellowed and Damien flinched. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You NEVER perform an Unforgivable Curse on another human being you hear me Damien! Its dangerous! What if someone had seen you! You'd be sentenced to Azkaban for the rest of your life! Do you want that Damien?! To be thrown in Azkaban after all we've done to protect you?! How can you be so selfless!?" After saying all that Severus took several deep breaths.  
  
"Was that the only one you've cast?" he said faintly. Damien (who had by that point sunk to the ground trembling) nodded, terrified. The man had almost looked......crazed......  
  
Severus groaned and paced back and forth with his hands on his face. "Oh merlin....what am I going to do?" he moaned faintly and Damien finally got up the courage to speak, "I-I'm sorry! I-I was just s-so mad.....she was saying hor-horrible things about Sirius!" "That's no excuse!" Severus snapped, whirling around and Damien trembled even more.  
  
Severus softened slightly and took another calming breath, "I just....don't want to loose you Damien.....you don't realize what you've done.....you've performed an unforgivable...you've done something unforgivable....you are no longer pure...now you are forever like me....infected....with the notion that you have done something inexcusable...."  
  
Damien stared at Severus and started to shiver, even thought he had his coat on......inexcusable....unforgivable...he had acted like the Death Eaters.....he had performed an unforgivable..... Damien put his head on his knees, which he had pulled up to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself in dejection.  
  
He felt a warm touch on his back and looked up to see his father squatting next to him, almost unsure of his actions, giving him a reassuring look, "Its going to be okay Damien....we'll get through this..."  
  
"But I'm just like_** them**_ now...and-and I'm going to be marked soon to and theres nothing we can do 'cause if I don't get marked then you'll get killed and if I do get marked then I'll be more like them and I'll have to torture and kill people and I'll turn evil like them......." He continued to babble inanely as his father sat beside him.  
  
"It'll be alright" Severus told him gently. "It will all turn out alright in the end.....it always does...."  
  
Damien hoped he was right...........  
  
() Okay ummmm.....ya I am not to overly pleased with this chapter but I guess it'll have to do..... well I hope this makes up for the lateness of last chapter and I cant say much cause I gotta get to the library to get this thing posted before it closes!!  
  
Review please!  
  
BYE!!!!!!!!!J 


	16. Chapter fifteen Slytherin Nobilty and Gr...

Hello! I finally updated!

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Thanks to everyone who reviewed and here's the chapter!

Chapter fifteen- Slytherin Nobility and Gryffindor Prejudice!  
  
Damien jumped slightly as someone shook him awake. He glanced up to see his father peering down at him with an arched eyebrow. "I thought you had gotten up fifteen minutes ago.... you're going to be late for your first class!"  
  
Damien groaned and struggled to sit up as his father went back to his breakfast, which he had ordered from the kitchens. Damien rubbed his eyes as he stretched and finally sat up. He didn't really remember much from the night before, merely being exceedingly exhausted after Severus had finally calmed him down. They had walked up to Severus' rooms afterward and Damien must have fallen asleep there......  
  
"You may use my bathroom if you wish, since you wont have enough time to go all the way up to the Snake Pit to shower..." Severus' smooth voice snapped Damien out of his thoughts.  
  
"I don't have any clothes....or my books...." He murmured feebly, still feeling rather faint from the night before. "The house-elves brought them up for you, they're in the bathroom," Severus said plainly, returning to the Daily Prophet, which he was now reading. Damien nodded and walked into the bathroom.

"Are you ready yet?" his father yelled to him. "We're going to be late!"  
  
Damien walked out of the bathroom calmly, looking rather groggy. He hated Fridays.... He used to love them before this year but now, he had every single one of his classes...and Potions twice...oh this was going to be a fun day...  
  
Damien bid his father good-bye before setting off to his first class of the day, Ancient Runes, which thankfully meant no Malfoy....  
  
He walked into the class and took a seat beside Hermione, who greeted him readily, "Good morning, Damien! Did you understand the homework assigned to us yesterday?" "Yes, why did you have trouble? Didn't think such a feat was possible for Hermione Granger!" he sighed overdramatically and said, "You're slipping Granger!"  
  
Hermione chuckled and slapped him playfully on the shoulder as the professor walked in. "Pass your homework to the front...come on now! We don't have all day!"  
  
The professor turned toward the class sternly, "We shall be studying about the pyramids of Egypt and the hieroglyphics left there by the Egyptian Wizards! Egyptian hieroglyphics will be seen a lot on you NEWT's so pay attention! By the end of this year you all should know what each and every symbol means...."  
  
Damien exchanged grins with Hermione, who seemed just as eager to learn. "You need to pay close attention now.....Egyptian hieroglyphics are very, very old and can rarely be found in a book in the library......"  
  
The Gryffindor and Slytherin twosome exchanged scowls at that and for the rest of the lesson, the class took notes on what some of the symbols meant. Damien thought that they would be as lucky as to not have homework for the week-end but unfortunately, five minutes before the bell rang the professor told the class, "I will be giving you each a different page of Egyptian hieroglyphics to decipher," the professor informed them as he (?) passed out a sheet to each student. "You are to turn in your translation by Tuesday, class dismissed..."  
  
Hermione turned to Damien, smiling. "I have been waiting for forever to study the Egyptian hieroglyphics! Isn't it exciting!" Damien nodded, "Yes, it is.....I just really feel like actually relaxing this weekend, you know?" Hermione nodded, "But the NEWT's are coming up and we need to be prepared!" "True. True, but I haven't had a single weekend of relaxation since the start of school....."  
  
The two continued to talk as they made their way to Potions, "Do you know why we have Potion's twice on Fridays?" Hermione asked Damien as they met up with the other students. Damien shrugged, "Probably because potions is one of the most important things? I don't know...." "Well we have it more then our other classes..." "We only have an hour for each class, I hardly think that's enough to make a potion...."  
  
Hermione shrugged, "Y'know.....I really don't get why we are having the Halloween dance tomorrow.....Halloween was on Tuesday....why didn't we just have the dance then?" "Probably because we had classes the next day.....ya think?" Damien sneered playfully and Hermione blushed. "Like I said, I think your slipping....."  
  
They both stopped talking as they entered the Potion's room and went their separate ways. Damien groaned as he saw that the only seat left on the Slytherin side was next to Malfoy....of course....  
  
He dropped into his seat with a huff as the door flew open with a 'bang' and Severus glided in with a scowl on his face. He turned to address the class and everyone immediately fell silent. "I had expected better from the lot of you....." Severus said coldly to the class, as he passed back homework glaring at them (except the Slytherins). "I have no idea how some of you dunderheads managed to even score an Acceptable on the OWL's let alone an Outstanding....nevertheless I am required to teach you the art that is potion making......however hopeless that may be for most of you..." At this he glowered at Neville and Ron.  
  
Poor Neville had somehow by some stroke of luck gotten an 'O' in Potions.... Needless to say, everyone was...well....astonished..... Neville had been seen telling his fellow classmates about how proud his grandmother had been of him, but that was short lived when he stepped into Potion's class and he was once again reduced to a quivering, terrified, boy....  
  
Damien felt a rush of pity toward the poor boy...he really wished (however cold this might seem) that Neville hadn't scored an Outstanding on the OWL's......everyone knows that Neville was absolutely horrible at brewing potions no matter what and it really was pitiful that he had remembered so much from potion's classes. Neville had scored an Outstanding on his written and an Acceptable on his practical (according to Hermione). Usually a student would be given an Exceeds Expectations but Neville had apparently scored a near perfect on the written exam.....which was a heck of a lot more possible then him scoring an O on the practical examination.....after all, Neville was only horrible at making potions....no one ever said that he was bad at memorizing them.....  
  
"I do hope that you idiots are capable enough to understand the difficulty of making this potion...." Severus paused for a moment, "you are now in NEWT potion's class and now you, unfortunately, shall be dealing with the more dangerous of potions....so I expect you all to pay attention!" Neville gulped audibly. Ron glanced nervously at Hermione. The whole class seemed to be holding their breath as they waited for their professor to go on.  
  
"Veritaserum, can be very dangerous....not the potion itself, but rather the ingredients required to make the potion.....one slip up could mean very dire consequences....."  
  
Neville looked as if he were going to collapse and Ron looked to Hermione again for support. "It will take you about a month to brew this potion, due to the fact that the full moon was yesterday...." Damien winced sympathetically as he thought about Lupin. "......instructions" Severus continued and waved his wand, "are on the board...began...."  
  
Damien collected the required ingredients along with Malfoy as the two began their potions. Damien had never seen more complicated instructions. You had to drop some ingredients into the potion a certain distance away from the cauldron and you had to stir all the ingredients in with the same amount of force.....  
  
The classroom immediately silenced as students began to prepare their ingredients. Damien finished preparing them quickly and started to mix in the ingredients. He dropped the monkswood into the potion precisely two centimeters away from the cauldron and while he waited for it to start simmering, he looked around at how everyone else was fairing.  
  
Hermione met his eyes and she gave him a flicker of a smile, she was also waiting for her potion to start simmering it seemed. Beside her, Ron was still carefully crushing his scarabs. Neville seemed to be doing alright, but then again he was still preparing his ingredients.....but hey....so far so good right? From beside him, Malfoy was adding his scarabs into his mixture, before dropping the monkswood into the potion like Damien had done.  
  
The blonde looked up at him and smirked, mouthing the words, _Too easy!  
_  
Damien merely rolled his eyes as his potion started to simmer.  
  
Severus glared coldly at the trembling students with pleasure. He loved to panic them like that and he could only imagine what dreadful death they were thinking would happen to them if they made one slip up.....  
  
Oh he loved to see them squirm.  
  
Severus gazed around the room, noticing how the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws had separated themselves from the Slytherins with fury. The only reason he did act like a bastard to everyone but the Slytherins was because all the other houses treated his Slytherins like shit! He hated prejudice....it was one of the reasons they were having this bloody war in the first place!  
  
He glanced up at the clock to see that there was only five minutes left until the class let out...thank Merlin! He stood, "If you are past the fourth step, which you should be, then you may bottle your potion, it will not ruin the potion if it cools but it will be ruined if it is left out so bottle all of it, label your name on it and put it on the desk ....."  
  
Damien followed the instructions obediently, bottling his entire potion and labeling his name before setting the now blue potion on his father's desk.  
  
He gave his father a small smile, which the man returned uncertainly, and turned to see Malfoy smirking at Neville's gray potion, he was holding something in his hand.  
  
Damien quickly walked over to the blonde, "What are doing?!" he hissed, eyeing the porcupine quills in Malfoy's hand. The boy smirked and said quietly, "Fireworks anyone?" with that he threw the porcupine quills into Neville's cauldron and Damien gave a yell as the potion started to bubble furiously.  
  
Neville paled and started backing away just as Severus turned toward the scene. "Neville, move!!" Damien yelled as he shoved the boy roughly out of the way.  
  
He barely had time to cast a shielding charm over the potion before it exploded.  
  
(a/n- heh.....I should've stopped here....)Needless to say, they wouldn't be having potion's for a while......  
  
Hermione Granger had broken her arm when she had been knocked over her desk from the impact of the explosion. Ron Weasley was lucky to have his eye. Neville Longbottom, while managing to escape the brunt of the explosion, was facing immense guilt due to the fact that the person who had practically saved his life was one of the people that his house taunted the most, and who was also now in a coma.  
  
Damien had, of course, been the closest and therefore had received the most damage. He had been burned severely but along with that, had broken three ribs, had attained many cuts of flying debris, and had been knocked into a coma, only a minor one, but a coma nevertheless.  
  
Seventy points had been deducted from Slytherin and Draco Malfoy was sentenced to two months of detention with Filch, was banned from quidditch for the rest of the year, and was not allowed to attend the Halloween Dance, which had been postponed due to the number of students that would be unable to attend.  
  
Everyone in the class, along with Professor Snape, had had to stay in the Hospital Wing for at least a day to recover and some, such as Damien, had to stay longer.The Gryffindor common room buzzed with confusion. They were rather surprised that a Slytherin had saved one of their own and had risked being injured greatly at the same time..... Who ever heard of a _noble_ Slytherin? Especially when that certain Slytherin was the head of the houses son?!  
  
"He probably threw it in there himself and just wanted to cover up his tracks if you know what I mean!" Ron told them all the next day and they agreed, after all, nobility was supposed to be_ their_ representation wasn't it? And Slytherins and Gryffindors are **nothing** alike.....  
  
Hermione glowered inwardly as she listened to what the other Gryffindors were saying about Damien. Ron sat down beside her, "Did you really have to give them that dim-witted idea that Damien did it on purpose?!" she hissed at him. "What?" the red-head asked her with a shrug. "Its probably true....."  
  
Hermione snapped her book that she had been reading shut and glared at her boyfriend, "And you call _him_ prejudice when you don't even _know_ him! You've only met him once, on the train.....oh yes.......and the many times that you've yelled at him for no reason!"  
  
Ron stood up, "Are you forgetting that that git is Snape's son?! Snape! The man who has made our lives a living hell ever since we came to Hogwarts!"  
  
Hermione also stood up, "Hasn't it ever occurred to you that maybe Damien is nothing like his father?! That maybe he's more like his mother because......I don't know!" Hermione feigned ignorance. "..maybe......because he was.....well....._raised _by her!"  
  
Ron looked at Hermione suspiciously, "You're awfully _chummy_ with Snape jr. now aren't you? You two are _good friends_ aren't you?" "Oh for heaven's sakes Ron!!" Hermione snapped. "You honestly think that I'm cheating on you?! You should know me better then that! Besides, he's with someone else thank you very much!"  
  
Ron blinked, "Who?!" Hermione faltered slightly. "Now that's none of your business Ronald Weasley!" "Oh come on Hermione! Whose side are you on anyway?!" "Side?! We are only in school Ron! You make it sound as if we are at war with each other!" Hermione screeched. Ron shrugged, "Well we kind of are...." "And you honestly think that Damien is scheming against us do you?!" Hermione glared at Ron furiously. "Well, he is the son of a Death Eater!" Ron snapped to her quietly. Hermione glanced around to notice several faces staring at them, but found that she really didn't care. She turned back to Ron and said in a harsh whisper to him, "Snape is a _spy_ remember? A spy!" "We don't know that for sure!" Ron retorted.  
  
They were finally interrupted as Ginny came down from her dorm and glanced uneasily at the two of them. "Er....did I miss something?" she asked quietly, eyeing Hermione and Ron's slightly red faces. Hermione glanced around at the faces still staring at them, "There's nothing to see here!" she snapped heatedly to them and the chatter immediately started up again.  
  
"Okay....well I'm going to visit Damien..." Ginny said. "WHAT!" Ron roared, causing the chatter to stop once again. "I thought I told you not to go near him, Ginny! Its dangerous!" Ginny whirled around and snapped, "He hasn't done one dangerous thing Ron! Not one! You are a very bad judge of character so stop trying to judge people you don't know! Not all Slytherins are like Malfoy, Ron!" Ginny paused and snapped, "And Damien happens to be very nice thank you!" and with that she whirled around and stomped out of the common room.  
  
Ron turned red again and opened his mouth to say something but Hermione pulled out her wand and muttered, 'Silencio'. Ron mouthed wordlessly and turned even more red as he glared at Hermione, who in turn sighed, "Look, Ron I'm sure everyone's heard enough of your mouth.....just hush for once please!" she turned toward everyone else who was watching once again and snapped,  
  
"I thought I said there was nothing to see here!!!"

Severus sat in a chair by his son's bed with a scowl on his face. He always knew that Draco Malfoy was a spoiled brat but this was just pushing it! He had deliberately made a bomb out of Longbottom's potion! And because of Malfoy's arrogance, his son had almost lost his life.......  
  
Severus turned to the figure before him. The boy was way to noble for his own good.....and that nobility was going to get him killed one of these days...... That thought suddenly sent shivers down Severus' spine.....  
  
Damien.......dead...... He felt his heart twinge as he imagined Damien's body....limp and unmoving......his emerald eyes dulled and lifeless......the thought of that seemed impossible...  
  
Severus looked down at Damien, studying his son's features thoughtfully, the boy really did look like him.....a lot......him and Lily...he suddenly thought about Lily....one of his best friends....he remembered seeing her body at her and James' funeral....her beautiful green eyes, once so filled with life and happiness....dull and blank as they stared up at him almost accusingly...... He never wanted to see that look in his son's eyes...  
  
Severus remembered when the potion had exploded. The boy had been smart to throw a shielding charm over the potion.......otherwise they all probably wouldn't even be here right now....  
  
He was startled out of his thoughts suddenly when Damien started to stir slightly. His eyelids fluttered slightly and Severus stared at him curiously, though not really expecting the boy to wake up. Poppy had told him that he might stir a little, but he wouldn't be waking for a couple of days.  
  
Damien settled again and Severus absentmindedly reached out to brush a loose strand of hair out of the boy's face. He pulled back almost as soon as he realized what he had been doing and almost felt guilty for doing so when the boy leaned his way for a moment as if longing for the gentle touch before returning to his normal position. The boy deserved someone to care for him after all that he had been through.  
  
Severus cared for Damien greatly.....he just didn't want to admit.... He felt as if the Dark Lord would take Damien away from him if he admitted that he did care for the boy....he didn't know what he'd do if something like that happened.....which was why he was so frightened by the fact that Damien would be marked soon....  
  
"Professor?" a small voice said hesitantly and Severus turned to see Ginny Weasley standing in the hospital wing doorway. "What, might I ask, are you doing here Miss Weasley?" he said in an indifferent voice. "I-I wanted to see Damien, sir..." the youngest Weasley said, looking at Damien's pale form in concern.  
  
Severus hesitated, he had wanted to spend a little more time with his son...... He nodded to the girl and got up to leave. "You don't have to leave sir...." Ginny said to her professor.  
  
Severus glanced uneasily at the Weasley girl. He had almost forgotten that she knew who Damien really was..... "Its been a long day Miss Weasley....." he said in a tired voice before nodding to the girl and walking out of the hospital wing, pausing for a moment to glance at Damien before continuing to walk out.  
  
() Hey! I'm actually done with this chapter! Finally!

Well there ya go, a nice long chapter (kind of).

I dont know who the Ancient Runes teacher is so if anyone does know please tell me! I also don't know if I did the Ancient Runes lesson right so again if I did do it wrong please tell me! Okay well review please!  
  
Till next time  
  
BYE!!!!!J


	17. Chapter sixteen Lots of things!

Hello again! Sorry for the long wait but I had a lot of stupid things going on...  
  
Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!  
  
Well I do hope this chapter makes up for the long wait! :)  
  
Chapter sixteen- Lots of things!!!!  
  
"I never really thought that Ron could be so shallow..." Ginny said gloomily to Damien as she sat in the chair that her professor had occupied mere minutes ago. Ginny didn't really expect a response from the unconscious boy but it felt good to talk without someone answering. Plus, Madame Pomfrey had told her that Damien could wake up sooner if someone talked to him.  
  
"He's been such a git! I mean, I knew he hated Snape but...this is just ridiculous!" she huffed. "Anyway, Hermione's furious with him as well and now Ron thinks you two have been snogging in Ancient Runes or something stupid like that.....Hermione told him you were taken....." Ginny smiled warmly at the form before her. "...she's right you know....." She reached out her hand and gently stroked Damien's cheek for a moment before drawing back.  
  
"Well Ron is going to be pissed when he finds out exactly who you really are with...." She broke off as Madame Pomfrey came in to tell her that she needed to go back to her dorm, it was almost curfew.  
  
Ginny watched the nurse bustle away to a sick third-year Gryffindor before turning back to Damien, "I'll come to visit tomorrow...get better soon, okay? I really miss you...." She kissed him on the cheek before heading toward the common room obediently.  
  
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Damien woke up on Monday, when classes were still going on. Madame Pomfrey made him stay in the Hospital Wing for three more hours to make sure he didn't have any brain damage. When she finally declared him cured Damien walked in the Great Hall just in time for dinner. Only a couple people glanced up at him to greet him when he walked in, which he was rather grateful for.  
  
Over at the Gryffindor table a silent but rather heated debate was going on between Ron and Ginny. Ginny had wanted to greet Damien but Ron had commanded her to stay at the Gryffindor table. "Stop treating me like a child, Ron!" Ginny snapped her red-hair slightly frazzled in her anger. "What is wrong with you Ginny? I thought you liked Harry! Are you really that desperate that you want to hang around with a bloody Slytherin! And Snape's son also! He's nothing but a arrogant, slimy, evil, bast-"  
  
CRACK!  
  
Ginny's eyes flashed furiously as she slapped her brother as hard as she could across the face. "Don't you dare call Damien evil you-you......you idiotic, shallow-minded, git!!!!" Ron's jaw dropped as he stared at his sister. Hermione, Neville, Dean, and Seamus stared at the normally innocent and soft-spoken girl in shock. "You dare to call him evil when you sit here judging him when you don't even know him!" Ginny stood up. "If anyone needs me I'll be at the Slytherin table!" She started to walk over to the serpent's table when Ron grabbed her arm, "Oh no your not! Your not going over there with the serpents! They'll kill you!" His face had a dark red spot on his cheek in a shape akin to a handprint.  
  
Ginny snatched her arm from Ron's grip, "Oh come off it Ron! When are you ever going to grow up?!" And to their great surprise (and to the disgust of Ron) Ginny walked right up to Damien and plopped down beside him.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Damien sat down at the Slytherin table suddenly feeling very alone. Malfoy sat down beside him. The blonde sighed, "I'm..............sorry, Damien.......I didn't mean to make a bomb out of the bloody potion, its just...Longbottom really doesn't belong in that class......they should take him out...."  
  
Damien merely sighed and shook his head, "You really need to control yourself, Malfoy. Always acting before you think is a really bad habit to have, it could get you killed one of these days...." Malfoy's shoulders slumped slightly. "I know.....Father tells me that all the time..." He looked up hesitantly and cleared his throat slightly, obviously feeling quite embarrassed. "So...do you...er...accept my.....apology?" he asked, his eyes glued to his shoes and Damien knew the blonde wasn't used to apologizing, at least not when he meant it.  
  
He sighed, "Fine, I accept your apology just.......learn to control yourself for once....." The boy nodded slowly before returning to his arrogant self. "Weasel visited you in the hospital wing a lot..." he smirked, "maybe you should go out with her and play around for a bit, then dump her-" "Draco......" Damien warned through clenched teeth, noting that he had called the boy by his first name for the first time. Malfoy also seemed to realize that as he opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when Ginny plopped herself right in between he and Damien.  
  
"Excuse you!" Malfoy snapped coldly. "This is the Slytherin table you little Weasel! Stick with your own kind, you don't belong here!"  
  
Ginny merely rolled her eyes and ignored him as she smiled apologetically at Damien. "Can I sit here? Ron's being a git again...." Damien shrugged, secretly elated as he smiled at the red-head. Malfoy was highly peeved. "No you can not! You're a mudblood-lover and we don't allow them around this table......" The other Slytherins who had been glaring at Ginny nodded at Malfoy's statement. Damien threw the infamous Snape-glare at the other Slytherins, "She can stay if I say so......unless any of you wish to oppose of course?" The others glanced at each other before returning to their meal.  
  
"Well I won't allow our house to be tainted by such disgrace!" Malfoy snapped, standing up and glaring at Ginny, who looked unsurely at Damien before sighing, "Maybe I should go...." "No don't!" Damien insisted before turning to his fellow Slytherin. "Remember what I said about always thinking before you act! What the hell is wrong with Ginny?" "Well....she-" "Who CARES if she likes Muggle-borns?!" "Well there-" "I like Hermione! Am I not welcome here either?!" "No, but-" "But what?! Muggle-borns are exactly like us except they have non-magic parents! If it wasn't for them then we would have died out an eternity ago!" "But-" "Did you know that our 'Master' is a half-blood? That he had a muggle father?!" "No...." "Then what's the problem?! What does everyone have against muggles?! Doesn't anyone realizes they are EXACTLY like us except they can't do magic? That we were once exactly like them at one time?!" Nearly the whole of the Slytherin table was staring at either Damien or Malfoy, both who had stood up.  
  
Ginny glanced uneasily at the many faces staring at them, "There's nothing to see here!" she snapped to them and they almost immediately went back to their dinner.  
  
"What do you mean we were exactly like muggles at one time?" Malfoy asked slowly. Damien sneered, "Honestly! The way my father favors you I'd think you at least knew how we originally started out!" A faint blush appeared on Malfoy's face. "Didn't you know that there were only muggles at one time? Wizards are like the evolved form of muggles......all of us....we all have an ancestor that's a muggle! All of us!"  
  
Malfoy paled dramatically. "B-but I've never heard that in History of Magic! I've never heard that before!" Damien sneered again, "Perhaps because they either forgot or are to ashamed to admit it!" he snapped, "not everyone knows that! It traces back from thousands of years ago.....well before Hogwart's time!" "How did you find out!" Malfoy snapped, essentially angry with Damien. "It's a little thing that I call reading! Something Hermione does more then you.....no wonder she's smarter, you may know a couple of Dark spells, Malfoy but you know absolutely nothing of our history!"  
  
Malfoy opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to speak before turning and hurrying out of the Great Hall. Damien turned to Ginny who had watched the exchange silently. "You know, you didn't have to do that for me..." she mumbled, blushing. Damien arched an eyebrow and glanced around at the Hall to find that nearly every eye was on them. Damien cleared his throat slightly and snapped, "The shows over..." before glaring coldly at them and strolling out of the Great Hall, unaware of the three Gryffindors that soon followed after him.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Damien walked out of the hall, intent on heading toward the Snake Pit and falling into a blissful sleep.  
  
"Wait!" a voice called out to him and he stopped, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before turning to see Ron walking slowly up to him, his eyes glued to the floor. Damien's old best friend absentmindedly scratched the back of his head, looking quite embarrassed.  
  
"Erm...." Ron began and Damien waited patiently, this was the first time that Ron had actually acted the least bit civil to 'Damien Snape' and he didn't want to blow it. "Hey....um....thanks for...for....defending Ginny and Hermione like that....." Ron glanced up uneasily at Damien before glancing nervously around the deserted hall, as if afraid that they were being watched. "I....I'm sorry for....for treating you like I have been.....er...well...ya....I'm...sorry..." Ron seemed very awkward around him. Damien sighed but smiled inwardly, "I guess if I can accept Malfoy's apology for almost killing me then I can accept your apology for treating me like shit....."  
  
Ron blushed.  
  
"Ya...well..Hermione tells me I'm rather......shallow-minded....." Damien had to laugh at the other boy's comment. "Yes, she's right as usual..." Ron finally looked up at him and nodded "Maybe....we could...start over I guess....." He held out his hand hesitantly, "Ronald Weasley....but don't call me Ronald..."  
  
Damien smiled outwardly this time as he accepted the hand, "Damien Snape". Ginny and Hermione hurried around the corner, interrupting the two. Ginny flung her arms around Damien and giggled, "About time you finally came to your senses Ron!" she said happily, smiling at her brother.  
  
Ron merely shrugged.  
  
Hermione walked over to him and murmured in his ear, "Thanks, for what you did......" Ron shrugged again, "Well he did defend you and Ginny in front of the whole school from Malfoy!" Hermione smiled warmly at her boyfriend.  
  
"The dance is this Saturday, it was postponed!" Ginny said, smiling. "I'm going with Damien!" Ron gapped at his sister and Hermione smirked deviously, "Told you he was taken...."  
  
"B-but.......!" "That's not a problem is it, Ronald?" Damien said smirking. Ron was silent for a couple minutes before he sighed and closed his mouth, "I guess I really can't stop you...." He murmured in defeat to Ginny, who beamed along with Hermione.  
  
Ginny squealed with delight and flung her arms around her brother and her boyfriend. "This is going to be so much fun!!" "But I'm warning you, Snape! You hurt her in any way then you'll be sorry!" Ron growled, before smirking slightly and adding calmly, "....got it?" Damien nodded and returning the smirk.  
  
He could tell that Ron was trying really hard to get along with him for the sake of Ginny and Hermione, but that still meant that the two of them actually had a chance to become friends again.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"You want to WHAT?!" Severus nearly shouted to Damien, who shrugged. "Ron and I are actually being civil to each other now.....thanks to Hermione and Ginny that is...." "Still, Damien....you can't just tell him now....it would still be suspicious if you two were to suddenly start hanging out together..."  
  
Damien huffed in annoyance at Severus. "You can be a real pain you know?" he said to his father. "Your not exactly the perfect son either you know..." his father stated quite coolly.  
  
"Thanks, its nice to know I'm loved..." he snapped to the man. "Well, Damien you just about blew your cover with that little display in the Great Hall at dinner!" the man said harshly. "And how, might I ask did I do that?" "You're a Slytherin! You are supposed to hate muggle-borns not defend them!" "Well I was brought up by muggles remember! I'm not supposed to hate muggle-borns when I practically grew up as one!" "You cannot be hanging around them all the time! They are Harry Potter's friends! Not Damien Snape's!" "Well I'm sorry I'm not like your precious successor, Malfoy!" "You can't risk your life like this just because of your damn friends Damien! Its dangerous!" "That's why I was sorted into Gryffindor in the first place remember? I'm foolish and I do things ill rationally and fool heartedly!" "Damien....." "That's what you always used to tell me Severus! Remember, one simple discovery does not change five years of hate now does it?" "Damien! Stop acting so foolish! You are risking mine and your life by hanging around with them!" "I'm sorry for being such a burden for you Severus! If I am such a trouble then why don't you just haul me back to the Dursley's? After all, you've done that for the last five years!" "I had no idea about your real parentage, Damien you know that!" "Even if you would've known, you still would have shipped me to the Dursley's, after all I am still James Potter's adoptive son right? No need to give a damn about him..." "Silence! I will not be spoken to like that! I am your father, not one of your stupid little friends that you can just push around all the time!" "Ya, well your not doing a very good job at being a father right now...."  
  
Severus paled slightly at Damien's words. Damien felt a twinge of guilt but angrily pushed it aside, he hated it when people tried to control his life! It had been done way to many times before and it wasn't going to happen again....not if he could help it!  
  
"Fine!" his father growled. "Fine! Whatever! Do whatever you want! Blow your cover, get yourself killed! See if I care!"  
  
Damien stared at his father, feeling his throat tighten slightly. Did Severus really not care if he got killed? Would the man even feel the least bit of sadness if he, Damien, dropped dead at this very moment? They had worked so hard to get past the old grudges and had tried so hard to get along and actually learn to treat one another as father and son should. All of that, all the work they had put into their working relationship seemed to crumble so easily.  
  
"Fine..." he said coldly, mask your emotions, don't let them know what your feeling. He whirled around and strode to the door, stopping to turn around and say almost breezily, "Shame I didn't die with my parents isn't it?" before walking through the door and slamming it shut.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Damien walked up to the Snake Pit with his shoulders slumped and his head bowed slightly. He tried to digest the fact that his father, a person that he had come to actually care for in the last couple of months, didn't even care if he died.... He kept trying to tell himself that his father had just been angry by what he, Damien, had said but it didn't really work.......  
  
"Pure-blood," he murmured quietly as the painting swung open and he stepped into the common room. Malfoy walked up to him, his eyes downcast. Damien sighed, "I'm not in the mood, Malfoy...." He mumbled tiredly. But the blonde shook his head, "I....I...erm....I looked in the library for books on our history....and....you know...." "...to see if I was lying?" Damien interrupted , annoyed. Malfoy nodded. He arched an eyebrow, "Well?" ".....you were......right...we do come from muggles..."  
  
Malfoy was silent for a couple of moments. "I cant believe...I mean...I never knew.....muggle-borns are exactly how we were originally started...when a person was suddenly born with magic powers....." "...yes, it was Merlin," Damien stated quietly. "Are you going to actually try to get along with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny now?" Damien asked.  
  
Malfoy shifted uneasily, ".....maybe.....maybe I'll........... .. ..try...but I'm not promising anything! Especially with your little girlfriend's brother....." Damien shrugged, "I think Ron is going to try to get along with me for Hermione and Ginny's sake.....Now if you don't mind, I'm exhausted....."  
  
The other boy nodded, "Night then, Damien..."  
  
"Night......Draco..."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Quidditch trials are this evening..." Draco told him at breakfast the next day. Damien looked up from his toast curiously, "I thought they were on Friday..." Draco shrugged, "They were but then.......I kind of got suspended......and well now they need a seeker..."  
  
Damien blinked. "Maybe you should try out for seeker," the boy said. Damien shrugged, "Maybe....."  
  
The whole morning hadn't been as chatty as usual (to Damien's great relief). It was almost like Malfoy knew that Damien thought of it as annoying and had kept doing it until now....  
  
"Why are you so quiet today?" he asked. Draco shrugged, "Got nothing to talk about...." Damien had a feeling that Draco was afraid to lose his only friend. He did feel rather grateful that Malfoy wasn't talking all the time; it made it a whole lot more enjoyable to hang around with him.  
  
"You should come over to my manor this Christmas," Draco blurted out suddenly and Damien blinked, "Well...aren't we going to be....marked near Christmas?" Draco nodded slowly, he didn't look very pleased about it. "Do you not want to be marked?" Damien asked innocently.  
  
Draco glanced around uneasily before saying, "Come on, lets head to classes, you've got Ancient Runes and I've got Care of Magical Creatures, we're going the same way...." Damien nodded and the two headed out of the hall. Draco stopped in the middle of the main entrance and turned to look at Damien seriously. "I want you to swear on your mother's grave that you will NEVER tell my father or You-Know-Who about this...." "Okay..." Damien murmured slowly. "Say it!" "Okay, I swear on my mother's grave that I wont mention any of what you are about to tell me to Voldemort or your father...."  
  
Draco paled and stared at him, "Y-You said his name!!" Damien shrugged, "So? Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself." The blonde continued to stare at him, "The mudbloo-I mean......Granger....said something exactly like that in our second year...." Damien grinned impishly and shrugged.  
  
Draco went on, "Okay.....I really don't want to be marked.." he muttered and Damien stared and him with wide eyes, "You don't?" The youngest Malfoy shook his head. "I don't want to serve some psycho.....I don't want to come home every night looking like my father....bleeding and convulsing just because I speak out of term or forget to say 'my lord'" Draco sneered at the last part.  
  
"Wait, why are you telling me this? My father does work for Voldemort to you know....." Draco shrugged, "I don't know, I just feel like I can trust you for some......odd reason......you are the only friend I've had that actually responded when I talk..." Damien smiled slightly, "Don't worry, I wont tell your father or Voldemort..." The other smiled gratefully and footsteps and voices were heard to confirm that breakfast was over and the students were heading to their first class.  
  
"Hey, I'll see you at Quidditch trials! They want me to help choose..." Draco said before opening the doors and heading toward Hagrid's cabin.  
  
Damien smiled and hurried toward Ancient Runes to tell Hermione....  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Your kidding! Draco Malfoy doesn't want to be a Death Eater? But that's impossible! He's the ideal Death Eater....." Hermione exclaimed quietly at the end of Ancient Runes. Damien shrugged, "Apparently he's got more sense then I give him credit for....." Hermione nodded in agreement as they passed in their translations (Draco had helped Damien catch up on work and Hermione had helped him in Ancient Runes).  
  
The bell rang and the two friends collected their things and headed for the Great Hall. Hermione headed over to the Gryffindor table beside Ron and Ginny. The later gestured for him to sit with them enthusiastically. Damien glanced over at Draco at the Serpents' table, he was all alone. He glanced at Ginny before heading over to Draco, "You wanna sit with me at the Gryffindor table?" he asked the blonde innocently. Draco dropped his fork, "Are you nuts? They're Gryffindors!!! Our rival house!" "Don't care..." Damien murmured absently and immediately perked up, "You're welcome to come but you are going to have to deal with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny if you want to come..."  
  
The other growled, "Okay I said I'd try but this.....this is just....to much......to soon!!" Damien shrugged innocently, "Suit yourself....." with that he turned and walked over to the Gryffindor table, ignoring all the stares and glares he was receiving.  
  
He sat himself down between Ginny and Neville. Neville gave him a warm smile, obviously accepting him immediately for saving his life. Ginny smiled and Hermione glared at the other Gryffindors who were glowering at him. Ron looked uncomfortable before also glaring at the other Gryffindors.  
  
Many of the Gryffindors in Damien's age group seemed more curious then hostile and nearly ever jaw in the Great Hall dropped as Draco Malfoy slowly trudged over to the Gryffindor table and plopped himself down between Damien and Neville, the later gulped audibly and scooted away slightly. Draco's eyes were glued to the floor as he reached for a knife to butter his toast and Damien had to fight back the urge to bust out laughing at the pink flush that had appeared on the normally pale and confident face.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"I cant believe you made me do that!!!" Draco hissed to Damien as the two, along with Hermione and Ron, headed to DADA. Damien shrugged, "And you didn't drop dead now did you Draco?" "No but-" "And I'm sure no one thinks any less of you...." He chuckled slightly at Malfoy's glare. "You made me sit with the freaking Gryffindors you git!" Damien continued to chuckle in amusement as Ron stared, wide-eyed at him and Malfoy.  
  
"Her-Hermione......Malfoy's acting......human!!!!" he looked very pale. "I- I think I should skip class..." "Oh no you don't Ronald Weasley! You are NOT getting off that easily and besides, I thought Professor Lupin's class was your favorite!" Ron frowned and mumbled in a dull voice, "It was when Harry was here.....its kinda boring without him now, you know?" Hermione nodded sadly, "I miss him too...."  
  
Damien almost immediately stopped laughing and eyed his shoes as if they were the most interesting things in the world. He wanted so much to tell Ron and Hermione his true identity but he knew Severus would probably kill him..... The two still hadn't spoken to each other since their quarrel and Damien still felt a rather dull pain whenever he thought about Severus not caring if he died.  
  
Well if Severus really didn't care then fine! He would tell Ron and Hermione! They were his best friends and they deserve the truth! It was his secret to tell anyway!  
  
'Alright,' he told himself. 'I'll tell them after quidditch trials at dinner tonight......'  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Severus sat in his beloved dungeons as he finally got a moment of relaxation after teaching those ungrateful brats..... In his right hand he absentmindedly stroked the edge of his wine glass as he gazed idly into the red liquid.  
  
The clock on his mantle gonged several times loudly, announcing that it was six. Six......what was so important about that time again? Oh yes... Try- outs for a Slytherin seeker were at six and Damien was trying out of course.  
  
Damien.  
  
He thought about what the boy had told him, about him not doing a very good job at being a father.... Well what did the boy expect? For him to be the perfect Dad when he hadn't opened up to anyone in about fifteen years?! Not to mention the tiny fact that Damien happened to be Harry Potter, his once most hated student.......  
  
His ONCE most hated student....  
  
Yes, he certainly didn't hate the boy anymore. He cared greatly for him....maybe to greatly perhaps. He couldn't do that, it was to dangerous. Yes, Severus had learned, years ago that it was dangerous to get close to someone.....  
  
Probably because almost everyone he got close to, died.......  
  
When he had first discovered that he was the father of the Boy-Who-Lived, he had thought nothing of it..... Thinking that he couldn't love anymore since he hadn't cared for someone in years...  
  
But then, over the summer, he had really gotten to know the boy. He had seen the real Harry Potter, not the heroic, fearless one that everyone saw at school. No. He had seen the boy cry, laugh, talk, rant, ramble, struggle, sleep, eat, everything that a normal teenager did.  
  
He had seen the flawed side of the boy. The side that made mistakes like everyone else, that got scared like everyone else, that lost his head at times like everyone else......he had realized that the boy WAS like everyone else....that he COULD bleed, that he COULD cry, that he COULD be scared......that he COULD make mistakes and tell lies.....  
  
The side that the boy always had liked to keep hidden from everyone else.....from all the wizards, witches, and children that looked upon him as a hero, as a flawless person....  
  
##########FLASHBACK############  
  
"Don't you ever want to give up? Y'know just.....surrender and go into hiding?" Harry asked Severus as he eyed a scar on his father's shoulder that the man had gotten from Voldemort.  
  
Severus shrugged slightly, "I really don't have a choice....even if I did, I wouldn't give up my spying duties....." "But....why? Don't you ever wonder what its like to have a normal life with a wife and kids? When the biggest thing you'd have to worry about was pleasing your children?"  
  
Severus smiled slightly, "It would be nice....." he trailed off as he thought of having three small children, hanging all over him, asking for candy or the latest broomstick model. It was hard to imagine.....and even harder to think of Harry as one of those pleading children. He snorted at the image.  
  
Harry arched an eyebrow, "Do I want to know what your thinking?" he asked quietly. Severus' smile faltered slightly as he shook his head and turned back to the Wolfsbane Potion they were making for Lupin's first month at Hogwarts. "It is hard, sometimes......thinking of how my life could have been....but it was my choice, no one else's. I was young and stupid and now I have to pay for the crimes I have committed....."  
  
He turned back towards his son, "What about you? You have the whole world on your shoulders and your complaining about my spying duties!" Harry's smile faltered, like Severus' had as the boy's eyes became slightly glazed.  
  
"I know that I am depended on by many.......that people see me as their beacon of hope....and I don't like it....I hate not being able to show terror or sadness when I want to....but....I suppose if I were to panic and get scared then everyone else would......lose hope....I just feel like their always watching me....." the boy finished, staring at the murky-brown potion, his eyes troubled.  
  
Severus put a hand on his shoulder, "Well, they are selfish and weak if they feel the need to place the world on a fifteen year old boy's shoulders, they are to weak and scared, so they place the burden on the strong to keep their precious lives peaceful...."  
  
Harry gave him a small smile, "Thanks.......and I'm sixteen...!" He murmured, arching an eyebrow at Severus. The man chuckled, "Don't ruin the moment....."  
  
Harry smiled at his father, enjoying seeing the man let loose and relax for once...... "I trained myself to smile, despite my emotions, so whenever I feel sad or scared, I will always look cheerful on the outside so no one will panic...." Harry went on. "And sometimes, when the pain or fright gets to much I let go of it all by....." he trailed off, embarrassed. "What?!" Severus asked. "Its kind of....embarrassing..." the boy murmured, averting his eyes.  
  
Severus sighed, "I wont laugh if that's what your worried about..." The boy looked slightly unsure but went on, "...uh....whenever I feel to troubled....I always....laugh...." "Laugh?! Why?" Harry shrugged. "It helps, its almost like crying, you can just let your emotions go and no one worries if I laugh...."  
  
Severus scowled at Harry. "That's probably really not healthy you know...." The Boy-Who-Lived shrugged again. "As long as everyone doesn't know how I really feel, I don't mind..." Severus opened his mouth to object only to be interrupted by Harry saying, "Laugh with me now will you?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
Another shrug, "I'm kind of nervous about school and about blowing my cover....laugh with me!!!" "No...." "Come on..." "No!" "It'll make you feel better, I promise...." "Harry!" "Pllleeeeeaaasssse Severus!!" Harry whined mockingly and Severus had a déjà vu moment as he thought about a smaller Harry, pleading for a broom. He sighed, "Fine!" he snapped and bottled the potion.  
  
Harry smirked victoriously, "Alright then, smile...come on....." Severus rolled his eyes, "This is stupid, Harry..." "Oh come on! How would you know you haven't even given it a chance?!" Severus sighed, knowing that arguing with the brat was pointless and forced a very strained looking smile.  
  
Harry sighed but nodded, "Now laugh!" "Just like that?" "Yep! It doesn't even have to be real....it just has to be loud...." He took a deep breath, ".....and obvious!" Harry stretched out for a moment before exploding in unmistakable laughter, "AHAHAHAHA!!!! HAHAHAHAA!!!!" Severus snorted in amusement, "You sound like a hyena...." Harry stopped to take several deep breaths, "Now you try, come on!" "I will not lower myself to such immature, stu-" "Wimp!" "Excuse me?!" "Wimp!!!" "How dare you call me a wimp you little brat!"  
  
Harry grinned impishly, "Wimp!!" Severus growled, he hated being called a wimp.....Potter and Black had called him that many times in their school days.......  
  
"Wimp? You call me a wimp? Well how's this for a wimp?!!" He took a deep breath, "WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAAA!!!" He sat there and panted for a minute before smirking at Harry, who immediately exploded with laughter.  
  
"What is so funny?!" "Y-You sounded s-so so stupid!!!! You sounded like an....an elephant!! You need to laugh more!!" Severus sneered, "Ha ha...." He muttered sarcastically, feeling quite embarrassed by falling for the boy's trick and acting like a fool when he was supposed to be the adult......  
  
"Oh come off it!!" Harry snapped suddenly. "Can you stop acting like a teacher for one minute and just......act like an idiot for once?! There is no one in the house besides me so you don't have to worry!" "Unlike you, I must keep up appearances..." "For who?! No one else is in the house, so why cant you take off your mask for once and just......laugh and not worry about the consequences?!"  
  
Severus said nothing.  
  
Harry 'humph'ed "No wonder your so grumpy, you put so much pressure on yourself to be the ideal grouch, its like you try not to have any fun just so you will turn cold!" Severus sneered, "I'd rather not act like an idiot all the time like you and your idiotic friends tend to..." he drawled in a bored voice. "Why cant you just have fun for only this time?! You don't have to do this all the time, but......if you keep all your troubles bottled up then you'll overload yourself! It'll tear you up!"  
  
"I don't deserve fun...." Severus murmured and Harry stared, "Yes you do!! So you made a few mistakes, big deal! Everyone makes mistakes its just some are more noticeable then others! Yes, you have killed people but you realized what you did was wrong and you asked for forgiveness and that's the important thing! Besides, you have helped the Order so much, you've saved probably more lives then you've taken! Treat yourself like a human- being Severus! Don't treat yourself like shit because of something that you cant change!"  
  
With that, Harry whirled around and stormed upstairs to his room, slamming the door shut loudly as he went.  
  
#################END FLASHBACK################  
  
Severus smiled slightly at the memory, it had been one of the first times he had ever acted out of character in a long time. He had to admit, it had cheered him up to laugh for once. The boy most certainly had made a dent the walls he had carefully built around his heart, even though they still were having problems with their relationship, it was no doubt that they had made a lot of progress.  
  
He thought of what he had said to the boy suddenly, Fine! Whatever! Do whatever you want! Blow your cover, get yourself killed! See if I care! Horrible thing to say to him....damn he was acting like a child now and the boy probably thought he had been serious.....  
  
Severus bit his lower lip and also remembered what the boy had said to him before he had left, Shame I didn't die with my parents isn't it? Why would Damien say something like that? Did he really want to die? Was he suicidal? The answer came to him almost instantly. No. He knew that Damien wouldn't do something that stupid, even if the boy really did want to die then he knew that Damien wouldn't die before killing Voldemort once and for all.  
  
That was another thing that sent shivers down his spine, the fact that his son was the one to kill that monster. Why, the thought of the boy getting marked was horrible enough, which they still hadn't came up with a solution yet....  
  
Nevertheless the boy was the destined one, and if there was anyone that he trusted enough with the power to defeat the Dark Lord, it would most definitely be Damien. Severus sighed, he needed to talk to the boy. December was approaching and fast, they needed to take action, make a plan......  
  
Severus pulled out a quill, an inkbottle, and a piece of parchment before writing a note to Damien.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"You'll do fine, y'know!" Draco told Damien enthusiastically as they made their way to the Quidditch Pitch. "How would you know? You've never seen me fly!" Draco shrugged, "I have a feeling and my feelings are always right...."  
  
Damien rolled his eyes good naturedly as they arrived to the field; there were a group of what looked like fourth years crowded around the Slytherin team.  
  
Montague, the captain, made a loud 'crack' with his wand and sent some sparks into the air, "Quiet!" he barked to them and they fell silent. Draco walked over to his side and Damien swallowed, feeling alone once again. The seventh year clamped his hands behind his back before pacing back and forth in front of the Seeker hopefuls. "I expect our new Seeker to be with us at practice each and every session! If you miss one for any reason whatsoever you will be off the team!" he stopped and turned toward them, "...and if anyone has any problems with that then leave now!"  
  
No one moved, the fourth years looked quite terrified, Damien merely huffed and rolled his eyes. "We have a whole new strategy this year! We will practice longer and more frequently Gryffindor wont stand a chance!" the team smirked confidently at that. "I expect our Seeker to catch the snitch every time! If he or she doesn't, then they will suffer the consequences..."  
  
There was murmuring amongst the Slytherins and Damien suddenly wished that the try-outs were over.  
  
They took turns catching the snitch, they were timed and observed by the Slytherin team and Draco. There were eight that tried out, Damien included. Five fourth years, one second year, and a third year. There was no competition really. It was quite pitiful, only one of the fourth years were the least bit good and he caught the snitch after thirty minutes and three times of falling off the broom. The other four fourth years had apparently been the first one's friends, whom had tried out just because their friend had.  
  
The second year had kicked off from the ground and not five minutes later, he came tumbling down, breaking his leg, he was escorted to the Hospital Wing of course.  
  
The third year was the best next to Damien, she caught the snitch in ten minutes and flew almost perfectly but Damien caught his snitch in less then five minutes. So, after discussing it briefly, the Slytherin team declared Damien the new Seeker and the third year girl, the reserve.  
  
Draco was seen telling Damien over and over that he knew he'd make it. Damien had to smile slightly, okay maybe he was playing for the Slytherin team but hey, at least he got to play Quidditch again....  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Where're you going Damien," Draco asked him as Damien made for the portrait. "My Dad's," the Boy-Who-Lived replied simply, careful to say 'my dad's'. "He sent me an owl telling me to meet him in his office after try- outs...." Which really sucked because Damien had been planning on telling Ron and Hermione about his real identity, but regardless of what his father had said to him, he didn't like being on bad terms with the man, it reminded him to much of his life before the discovery.  
  
He knocked on his father's door and heard a tired, 'enter' before opening the door and stepping inside.  
  
Severus looked tired and irritated and Damien felt himself tense slightly when the man looked up at him. The irritation seemed to fade away and Severus cleared his throat, "Good evening, Damien..." Damien nodded and looked away. Severus sighed and stood up before rounding the desk and standing in front of Damien, who lowered his gaze.  
  
"I would like to apologize for my words yesterday....they were rude and uncalled for......I had no right to say them to you...."  
  
Damien shifted slightly at his father's apology. "Erm....Its....okay.....I guess....I shouldn't have said what I did either....I'm sorry...." Severus nodded in acceptance to the apology.  
  
"Now, why I asked you down here tonight is to discuss what exactly we are going to do about your marking....." "Shouldn't the headmaster be down here to?" Damien asked and Severus shook his head, "No, he has things he needs to do.....I shall be telling him our plan before the meeting in December though."  
  
"Well....." Damien started hesitantly. "I was thinking of this one thing we could do, but I doubt you'll agree with it......"  
  
Severus arched an eyebrow, "What?"  
  
Damien bit his lip nervously and Severus' eyes widened as realization hit him, "No, your are NOT spying!"  
  
"But why not? I'm going to be marked anyway..."  
  
"No your not, you don't realize what its like to be marked, Damien...."  
  
"Well if I'm not marked then you'll be killed!"  
  
"I could just stop spying!"  
  
"You and I both know that Dumbledore and the Order cant afford for you to stop spying nor will either one of them let you stop!"  
  
"I don't care, your not being marked! Do you not realize how much you'd be risking your life by doing this!"  
  
"Well it wont be any different from my life as Harry Potter now wont it?"  
  
"I wont let you put your life in danger like that just to save me Damien, I'm not worth it!"  
  
"Don't say that!!" Damien shouted. "Don't you ever say something like that! Why do you always think you life is worth nothing?! Why do you constantly treat yourself lower then dirt?!"  
  
Severus sighed, "Because, Damien I know I am not worth it....."  
  
"Stop saying that!"  
  
"You have no idea of the sins I have committed Damien! I have committed way to many crimes to be forgiven in a lifetime!"  
  
"I don't care about the sins you have committed, Severus! You're a different person now! Everything you did before was in the past! IN THE PAST!! You were different, it shouldn't effect who you are now!"  
  
Severus opened and closed his mouth several times before realizing that Damien was right, though he hated to admit that he should forgive himself, if not for him then for Damien at least.  
  
"Nevertheless I still do not want you to spy......there are plenty of other spies that are close to the Dark Lord, Dumbledore and the Order can afford to give up me...."  
  
Damien blinked and for the first time was distracted, "Other spies?! Who? Who else is a spy?" Severus shrugged, "I have no idea, spies are not told whom the other spies are since they could be questioned under Veritaserum...."  
  
Damien nodded, that did make sense...  
  
"Legilimens!!"  
  
Damien started when Severus suddenly shouted the spell at him. The man had been surprising him like this more often as of late. He quickly cleared his mind as the spell hit and tried to force the man out of his head......  
  
"MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!!!!" Vernon roared at him on Dudley's eleventh birthday while Dudley and Piers laughed openly in the background......  
  
He was in his first year, in his first potion's class as Snape glared down at him with hatred in his eyes, "Mr. Potter......our new celebrity......"  
  
"Avada Kedavra!" A flash of green light, a rushing sound and Cedric Diggory lay dead on the ground.....  
  
He was at the Dursley's, after his fifth year, in his cupboard curled into a trembling ball, blood stained his clothes, as Vernon shouted at him, "FREAK!! WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT!!! YOU KILL EVERYONE WHO COMES NEAR YOU!! WHO COULD EVER LOVE A USELESS FREAK LIKE YOU!!!" The man lifted the belt from his pants and whipped the buckle around Harry's face once again as a pale Aunt Petunia watched in horror.  
  
"NOOOOO!!!"  
  
Suddenly the memory faded away and Damien found himself on the cold, stone floor, retching violently as hot tears poured down his face. Yes, he had had memories of Vernon beating him, but none as bad as this one had been.  
  
He tried desperately to hold back the sobs that shook his body and tried to quickly wipe away the tears, flowing from his eyes. How could he be so weak? It was just a memory nothing more! He had to control himself! He needed to control his emotions or he'd never learn Occlumency enough to defend himself from Voldemort and it could cost him another person's life! He couldn't let that happen!  
  
But even he had his limits and Damien was soon gasping in desperation as he continued to try to hold back the incredible urge to just break down and cry. Everything just seemed to have built up inside of him and finally, it all seemed to be coming out...  
  
He suddenly felt an arm wrap itself around him and he abruptly threw his arms around the other person, burying his face into the soft folds of robes as he found himself weeping in the arms of his father. He suddenly felt safe, protected as his father tightened his arms around him briefly. Severus was saying words to him....soft, soothing words that were supposed to comfort him but Damien barely understood any of them, he just focused on the soothing tone and the strong arms around him.  
  
Severus felt the walls around his heart crumble instantly as he held a sobbing Damien. He felt something different, something warm replacing it instead, something that he had never felt before... Could it be love? Could he actually love this boy......his son? He knew that he cared about Damien very much but....was it possible for him, Severus Snape the heartless bastard that almost all of the students hated, to love?  
  
Severus stared down at the dark head nestled against him and smirked slightly as the answer came to him instantly. Yes. He could love this boy and he did.....Merlin, he never would have thought it possible.  
  
He suddenly felt a surge of fury course through him as he thought about the man responsible for Damien's distress, Vernon Dursley. Oh he would make the bastard pay for what he had done to his son! After all, there were worse things then death now weren't there?  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Are you sure you want to tell them?" his father asked him quietly from his desk as Damien wiped his face off with a towel and put a freshen-up charm on himself to make him look like he hadn't been crying.  
  
"Yes, Severus I'm sure. I know for a fact that they wont abandon me if that's what your worried about..."  
  
"I know they wont abandon you, its just that the more people that know about your true identity, the worse!" Damien sighed, "They wont tell anyone, don't worry."  
  
Severus sighed but nodded, "Alright, I trust that you know what your doing..." Damien smiled inwardly but immediately sobered up, "I do want to be a spy, Severus...I don't want you to die or suffer.... please Severus.... you cant die!"  
  
Severus softened at his son's plea. "And I don't want you to die, Damien...You remember what it was like to be put under the Cruciatus Curse?" At Damien's nod he continued, "Well just imagine being put under that at least twice at every Death Eater meeting...I know you want to help but it will be painful and dangerous and I don't want you to suffer either...."  
  
Damien stared up into his father's dark orbs, swirling with concern and apprehension. "I know it will be painful, I know what Death Eater meetings are like, remember?" he reached up to touch the series of jagged lines on his forehead briefly.  
  
Severus sighed. "I don't like this.... not one bit...." "Please! I want to help! I need to help in some way! After all, I've almost mastered Occlumency, you said so yourself! I can almost always block you!" Severus ran a hand through his hair. "Please, I won't blow our cover and I can't just sit by while you are tortured and killed! I've watched that happen way to many times and I need to take action!"  
  
His father regarded him through thoughtful, black eyes. "Fine...I'll speak with the headmaster about it.... but if you are seriously injured in any way or if you are told to perform something that you really don't want to do..." "Severus! I'll be a Death Eater! You can't tell me that I'm not going to be getting injured or not going to do something I don't want to, that's impossible!" Severus sighed in annoyance with the boy's common sense but nodded.  
  
"Also there's one more thing, Severus..." 'Oh boy...' Severus thought mentally. "Well, Draco doesn't want to be a Death Eater and I was thinking that he could be a spy to...."  
  
"How do you know he's not acting upon his father's orders, Damien? You can't trust someone so quickly, nowadays its dangerous!" "I know I know everything's dangerous now! But I know I can trust him!" "How?" "I don't know I just...do! If you don't trust him then at least trust me on this Severus!" "Fine, fine! I'll talk to Albus about allowing Mr. Malfoy to become a spy to..."  
  
"Thanks!" Damien checked his watch. "Damn! I'm late for the meeting with Ron, Hermione, and Gin! They're gonna kill me!" "Watch your language, young man!" Severus sneered playfully and Damien rolled his eyes.  
  
"Ya, ya...." He murmured, waving off the reprimand breezily. "I'll see you later!" Severus nodded. "Good-night, Damien...and congratulations on making the Slytherin Team, we'll finally beat Gryffindor now."  
  
Damien smiled as he made for the door, but stopped and turned back toward Severus. "I seemed to have been mistaken...your really good at being a Dad!"  
  
Severus blinked in shock as the boy hurried out of the room before throwing over his shoulder, "Good-night.........Dad..."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Where on Earth have you been Damien?" Ginny exclaimed to him as he walked into the Room of Requirement. He was about an hour late due to his little quandary. He shrugged, "With my Dad." He said, surprised at how easily 'my dad' had come. He couldn't believe that he had called Severus 'dad' even though Severus really was his father it had still been kind of embarrassing... "Okay, so what did you need to talk to us about, Damien" Hermione asked from her place beside Ron on one of the couches.  
  
The room currently looked like a living room. It had two big, squashy, coffee colored couches with a couple beanbag chairs littering the room. A huge, warm fire was crackling peacefully in the fireplace. The two couches were across from each other, each side-by-side to the fireplace, with a dark-wooded coffee table in the middle of them. On it was tea and biscuits. It was perfect.  
  
Damien plopped down beside Ginny on the other couch and glanced nervously at her. She gave him a reassuring nod and he took a deep breath before talking, "Okay, what I'm about to tell you, might freak you out a bit but I am asking you to please wait until I get finished before you jump to conclusions..."  
  
Hermione and Ron looked at him, confused, but nodded anyway after glancing briefly at each other.  
  
Damien took another deep breath to calm himself and Ginny held his hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. "Alright, I am going to be blunt, first off.......my name is not really Damien Snape....it was a cover-up name for my real identity...."  
  
Ron's eyes widened and Hermione almost immediately perked up, "Its you isn't it, Harry?! I've suspected for ages I was just to afraid to ask you!"  
  
Damien blinked, 'well this will make it a lot easier' he thought. Ron's jaw dropped as he stared at Damien as if he'd never seen him before in his whole life, "H-Harry mate? Is that really you?!" Damien looked at his hands and murmured, "Yes, Ron its me...."  
  
Silence reigned before a loud squeal hit his ears and Hermione flung herself practically across the table and onto Damien unceremoniously, "Oh Harry!!! I knew it was you I just knew it!!! Oh we've missed you so much!!!" She sobbed and Damien felt the urge to chuckle.  
  
Hermione composed herself as she sat back down, still smiling. "How've you been? Where've you been over the summer? Why didn't you tell us?" But Damien wasn't looking at her he was looking at Ron.  
  
The redhead was seating stock-still staring at Damien as if he were a ghost. "Why didn't you tell us, mate?" he asked hoarsely, repeating Hermione's last question. "I wanted to! I really did! But Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape-" "Snape?! Why in the bloody hell did you have to pose as his son?! Oh I feel sorry for you mate....."  
  
Damien sighed he had to tell them...  
  
"Ron I'm not posing." Ron paled and Hermione stilled. They both stared at him. "H-How is that possible?!" Hermione was the first to recover. "My mom put a charm on me to make me look like James Potter.....Severus and my mom were really good friends, but one night Malfoy put the Imperious Curse on him and made him drug mom and well they......." He trailed off and Ron blanched. "So he practically raped her?!" "NO!" Damien shouted, "He did not! He had NO control over his actions whatsoever Ron so don't even think any different!"  
  
"Jeez...sorry mate.... I didn't mean to...it just sort of popped out.... I mean..." "What Ron's trying to say, Harry, is that its kind of a shock, you know? He didn't mean it in that way..." "I know Hermione.....I'm sorry Ron......both of you for not telling, I wanted to but they wouldn't let me..."  
  
"Anymore surprises?" Ron looked slightly woozy.  
  
Damien frowned, "Actually.....ya...." he sighed, "Do you remember the prophecy that Voldemort wanted last year?" the others nodded. "Well, I actually did hear it.....in Dumbledore's office, after....after Sirius....." he trailed off and Hermione nodded in understanding. "So what'd it say?" Ron asked, looking slightly excited. "Basically that I either have to kill Voldemort or be killed by him...."  
  
Silence once again met his ears.  
  
"Oh Harry!" Hermione whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Damien heard a sob off to the side and glanced over to see Ginny with tears pouring down her face. He had almost forgotten that she hadn't known about the prophecy either... He put an arm around her comfortingly.  
  
"I don't want to put you guys in danger...I hate being me sometimes...." He whispered sadly to them. "Don't say that!" Ginny said to him. "We'll stick with you till the end, that's what we're here for! We'll always be here for you no matter what! You've got to believe that, Harry!"  
  
"I don't want you guys to be in danger....." "We're already in danger, don't you think?" Hermione asked. "And we're with you, aren't we you guys?" Ginny and Ron nodded. Ron looked very pale, he looked at Damien as if he were dead, "We're here for you mate..."  
  
Damien felt emotion rise up in his chest as he listened to his friends' words. He loved them all....and sometimes he felt as if he didn't deserve friends like them, he almost said so out loud, but he knew he'd only be chastised if he did.  
  
"There's one more thing, if I don't get the Dark Mark in December then my father will be tortured and killed....." Ginny and Hermione gasped and Ron looked thunder-struck. "I never liked Snape but....I never wanted him to die...your not going to actually go through with it are you?" he asked cautiously. "I have to Ron....if I don't then he'll be killed! I'm going to be a spy too."  
  
"But that's dangerous!!" Ginny shrieked, "Y-You could die! Or be tortured or discovered!" "I have to take that chance Gin....don't worry I'll be fine, I'm really good at hiding my emotions and I'm good at Occlumency now.......and I have a high pain tolerance level.....plus I need to do something to help.."  
  
"B-But what if you have to kill someone! What then?!" Ginny continued to look for ways to convince him other wise. "I doubt Voldemort will make me do something that extreme.....the worse I'll have to do is spy or maybe..." Damien gulped audibly as he spoke one of his worse fears, "....maybe I'll have to put the Cruciatus on someone...."  
  
Ginny let out a dry sob and Hermione and Ron gasped. "Its going to be okay, you guys....don't worry..."  
  
"R-Right...." Ron moaned faintly, "You find out our most hated teacher is actually your father and that he was made to drug your mom into...sleeping with her by Malfoy's father, your made to have a new identity because of that and you have to kill You-Know-Who or you'll die and your going to be a spy for Dumbledore by being marked! Ya! Its going to be just peachy keen! And here I thought we would have a normal year!"  
  
Damien sighed at all of his friends' distress, "Look, lets not think about the future now, lets just relax, for once in our lives we need to just relax and not think about it....please...just for now...."  
  
Ginny, Hermione, and Ron exchanged glances before they turned back to their friend, he was right, they needed to just relax for once and Harry needed it most of all......  
  
"Okay Harry..." Ginny said, though her voice had a hint of worry in it. But they had to relax for Harry's sake....he deserved it...  
  
So they all sat their, eating biscuits and drinking tea, sitting in the quiet, thinking about the good times, before the war or maybe discussing the upcoming Quidditch match, avoiding the subject of Voldemort, getting marked, and what lay ahead in the future......  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"What are you planning on dressing up as for the dance Damien?" his father asked him after the second potion's lesson on Friday. Damien shrugged and smirked, "It's a secret..."  
  
Severus rolled his eyes. "The headmaster spoke to Mr. Malfoy last night..." Damien looked up from the second year papers he was helping his father grade as he arched an eyebrow, "And?" "Well....the Order has two new spies come December...." Severus said with a sigh.  
  
Damien smiled openly. Finally, he was finally able to help out, to be treated as an adult! He knew it was going to be as painful as hell but it was going to be worth it if it meant that he would be saving his father's life and possibly, other people's lives as well.  
  
Severus glanced at the clock, "You need to be heading to your next class..." The potion's class had gotten out early due to the fact that they couldn't make any more progress on their Veritaserum for a couple of days. Damien had stuck around to grade papers with his father instead of going with Ron and Hermione. He really wanted to spend more time with the man; he often enjoyed the time that they spent together.  
  
Damien carefully stacked the papers back onto his father's desk as he collected his book bag and headed toward the door. "Good-bye Damien." His father called to him.  
  
"Bye, Dad..."  
  
() Whew!!! Oh my Lord! I thought I would never get done with that chapter! It just sort of kept on going and when I wanted to post it, ff.net was down! Then I went to Florida for three days and then I didn't have the story with me to upload it!! So I just kept on going.  
  
Next chapter is the dance and if any of you has an idea of what Damien or Hermione or Ron or Ginny or anyone else could dress up as then please tell! Also I seriously doubt that I should but just for your opinion, do you think this story should be moved up to rated 'R' I seriously doubt it but like I said, I really don't feel like getting my story kicked off ff.net just because I cant rate good.  
  
I know there was OOCness with some people, especially in the flashback but please, bear with me, I made then chapter extra extra long to make up for it!!  
  
Well I hate to say that this wont be a regular occurrence, its almost like a once in a blue moon thing so....ya.....sorry... grins apologetically Here's the werewolf challenge if any of you are interested: The story must mainly be about Harry, Snape, and Lupin.  
  
Harry is either Lupin or Snape's son and Lily is still his mother.  
  
AFTER Harry finds out that he is Snape or Lupin's son he is bitten by Lupin (in werewolf form) and is turned into a werewolf.  
  
One main part of the story must be about Harry's becoming of a werewolf and how he deals with it.  
  
Ron and Hermione cannot be animagus'.  
  
Harry's real parentage is kept a secret from the wizarding world.  
  
Sirius does come back (you can decide how).  
  
The main genre cannot be humor.  
  
Must take place AFTER Harry's fifth year.  
  
No new MAIN characters.  
  
Okay so thats it. Dont know if its a really good challenge or not but I just want to see a good story made out of this. I know its kind of like the Severitus' challenge so I dont really want to take any credit for it (thats why its called the werewolf challenge). I don't think that this type of challenge has been made yet but if it has then i have not come across it.  
  
Okay well please please please PLEASE review!!! Please! I made a twenty two page chapter so you'd review so please do so!!!  
  
Till next time...  
  
BYE!!!!!!!J 


	18. Chapter seventeen The Halloween Dance!

Thanks again to my reviewers and thanks to Wytil for your suggestion on Ron's costume and thanks to Cyn Wraith for your suggestion on Ginny's costume. I hope you like the other costumes.

Okay not much to say....

Chapter seventeen- The Halloween Dance!

"You really need to get out more, Severus..." Remus muttered to the scowling Potion's Master. He had dressed as a vampire for the dance, which was about to start in fifteen minutes.  
  
Severus sneered, "And why, might I ask, do you say that?" Remus shrugged, "A vampire?! Come on! A four year-old could come up with a more unique costume then that!" The other man snorted as he eyed Remus' costume with little interest, "And I suppose a werewolf is more unique then a vampire?" he asked coldly.  
  
Remus smiled thoughtlessly, "Come on, I really am a werewolf, besides, I'm supposed to act rather inaptly to you considering the animosity between werewolves and vampires." Severus' sneer deepened, "At least I wont have to pretend to hate you...." He murmured absently as he swept by the werewolf and out into the Great Hall, which was decorated festively for the late Halloween Dance.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"I wish I could go..." Draco groaned to Damien as he watched the other boy check his appearance in the mirror. They were both in Damien's room, away from the excitement in the common room. Damien scoffed, "Well you shouldn't have made a bomb out of Neville's potion!"  
  
The blonde rolled his eyes in response as he eyed Damien's costume with disdain, "What are you supposed to be anyway?"  
  
Damien shrugged as he turned toward his mate, showing off his dark, velvet green robes, decorated with silver snakes, "Salazar Slytherin! Who else?"  
  
He had the Slytherin symbol enlarged slightly on his upper left sleeve and what looked like a live silver snake hanging around his neck. It was just a necklace, but looked exactly like a real snake. His raven hair was tied back into a tight braid, which dropped down to the middle of his back.  
  
Draco frowned and turned over so he was laying on his stomach, "Are you nervous about getting marked this December?" he asked his companion quietly. Damien nodded and turned toward the blonde, "But it helps to know that I am helping others by doing it."  
  
Draco sighed and sat up, "Well, my father....." "Your not going to tell him are you?!" Damien exclaimed in panic. Draco raised an eyebrow, "No..." he said slowly, "Why would I? Your not supposed to tell other spies that you're a spy remember?"  
  
Before Damien had a chance to digest what the Malfoy had said, there was a knock on the door and the Head Boy (which was a Slytherin) called to them, "Dance is starting and I'm sure you don't want to keep your date waiting!" he said that in a slight mocking way before his footsteps faded away along with the chatter from the common room.  
  
Draco sighed, "Have fun...." He murmured as they walked out of Damien's room.  
  
Damien nodded, "Hey come on! You still have the Yule Ball to look forward to!" There had been an announcement at dinner that the Yule Ball would be taking place this year. "Sure...." Draco murmured before heading toward his own room. Damien hesitated before shaking his head and walking down to the common room and out of the portrait.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Ooooooooooo I'm so excited Hermione!!" Ginny squealed and jumped in her seat in excitement. "Ginny stop moving! Your going to make me mess up your make-up!" Hermione reprimanded as she finished the mascara and continued on with the lip-gloss.  
  
"Woman..." Ron muttered, rolling his eyes and tapping his foot impatiently.  
  
Ginny and Hermione were both in Ginny's dormitory; Ron was waiting just out the door and had yet to see either one of them.  
  
"We'll you hurry up!" he yelled up to his sister and girlfriend.  
  
In response, the two girls started to walk down the stairs to meet him.  
  
Ron's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he saw Hermione. She had once again, out done herself. Her bushy brown hair was once again straight and shiny, it was put up in a French braid, she wore a strapless, midnight blue gown that looked as if it were made out of silk.  
  
"Don't gawk Ron its not entirely becoming..." Hermione told him as she looped her arm with his. Ron immediately shook his head slightly and turned to Ginny, who was grinning at the two of them.  
  
"What are you supposed to be anyway, Ron?" Hermione asked him, eyeing his knight outfit with a fake-sword in its halter. "King Arthur, who else?" Ron stated simply, still eyeing her up and down.  
  
Hermione huffed, "Well you could at least say something, Ronald Weasley instead of staring at me like I'm some type of display!" she snapped.  
  
Ron blushed, "er.....uh.....Who-Who are you supposed to be again?"  
  
Hermione let out an exasperated shriek and muttered, "Why do I even bother.... For your information I am Rowena Ravenclaw!"  
  
Ron blinked, "Why? You're a Gryffindor..."  
  
"I don't know, Ron! Probably because Godric Gryffindor was a man! Honestly! Besides, I was almost sorted into Ravenclaw..."  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes at the two and finally spoke up, "Will you two knock it off? Damien's probably waiting for us!"  
  
Ron eyed his little sister's costume. Ginny was wearing a flowing, crimson- red gown that looked as if it were made out of the same material as Hermione's. Like, Hermione's, it was also strapless and it dropped down to past her legs. There was about a half an inch wide cut made that went all the way up to her left knee. Her red hair was down, dropping to bellow her shoulders. In her left hand was a foot-long mini pitchfork and to top it all off, she had a red headband with two small horns sticking out of either side.  
  
"You're the devil?!" he exclaimed.  
  
Ginny shrugged and did a dramatic spin in her gown. "I'm only missing the tail, but it wouldn't have looked all that good with the gown... Now come on, Damien's waiting for us in the Entrance Hall!"  
  
The others followed her out of the common room and hurried down to meet Damien, who was waiting patiently, leaning against a wall.  
  
"Hey, Damien!" Ginny chirped and Damien looked up.  
  
Ron saw with satisfaction that Damien's eyes widened at his little sister's appearance.  
  
"Hey, Gin..." Damien felt as if he had just drank a butterbeer down in one gulp as he stared at Ginny. "You look......beautiful..." he admitted, glad that he had had guts enough to say it.  
  
Ginny blushed but smiled, looking enchanted as she walked over to him and looked at him up and down. "Salazar Slytherin and the Devil....how original..." she smiled at him, looping her arm with Damien's.  
  
"Shall we?" Damien asked in a mock-haughty voice and Ginny giggled. "We shall..." she used the same tone of voice as the two couples entered the Great Hall.  
  
The Great Hall looked similar to what it did during the Yule Ball, except instead of the white frost, mistletoe, and ivory; there was cobwebs, pumpkins, and bats flying ever which way. There were hundreds of small tables that had black tablecloths and a jack o lantern (don't know how to spell it) lit up in the middle. The dance floor was charmed to look like a forest floor with fog floating all around it. The sky was dark, the moon full (though it really wasn't a full moon), and there were trees and vines growing up the sides of the walls that would sometimes move or twitch. The Weird Sisters were up on stage dressed as hags, already playing music.  
  
Ginny grinned at Damien excitedly, the dim light dancing off her chocolate brown eyes, making them sparkle.  
  
"We're going to go dance." Hermione yelled to them above the music, "you two coming?"  
  
Damien, who really didn't like to dance, glanced at Ginny and nodded slowly when she did. The four of them made their way out onto the dance floor and started to dance to the music.  
  
Damien found that he was actually having fun and after glancing over at Ron and Hermione, found out that Ron looked as if he were having fun too. Damien tried to keep up with the fast rhythm, along with Ginny but she seemed to be having trouble also as she started to trip.  
  
Damien surprised himself by automatically reaching out and catching the girl before she fell. Ginny giggled inanely as she got back onto her feet.  
  
"I do not know how to dance, Damien just to warn you..." she told him, above the blaring music. He arched an eyebrow, "Really? And here I thought it was Neville that kept on stepping on your feet at the Yule Ball..."  
  
She shrugged, "Yes, but it was me who kept on stepping out of rhythm." He shrugged, "Don't worry I don't really know much about dancing either." She giggled even more, "We could be a danger to the dance floor, you know?"  
  
Damien smirked at her.  
  
Ginny glanced at Ron and Hermione and looked back over at Damien, "At least you don't suck at dancing as much as Ron does..." Damien followed her gaze and looked to see Ron, looking quite unsure of what he was doing, dancing rather hilariously.  
  
Hermione, thankfully, didn't look embarrassed at her boyfriend's antics and was actually laughing heartily at Ron's poor attempt to fast-dance. Ron looked a lot more comfortable at her laughter and seemed to relax more.  
  
The song ended and another began. Ginny stopped dancing, "There is no way I can dance that fast..." she sounded slightly out of breath. "er...." Damien wasn't really sure what to do.  
  
"You want to get something to drink?" he asked, hoping it was the right thing to do. She nodded and they made their way off the dance floor, careful to avoid Ron's flying arms.  
  
"Hey, isn't that your dad?" Ginny asked as they each popped open a butterbeer. He glanced up from the bottle to see his father, leaning leisurely against the wall; it was quite obvious that had he not been obliged to come, he wouldn't have.  
  
Damien let out a small laugh, "He's a vampire...." "Bet the first-years will love that!" Ginny said, sipping her butterbeer.  
  
Damien only nodded, suddenly wishing that his father had someone to dance with. He looked so.......alone.  
  
He walked over to his father, "Hey Dad!" he shouted cheerfully, making the man jump slightly.  
  
Severus nodded, "Damien....Miss Weasley, having fun?" Ginny nodded and Severus sneered, "You two better not wander off...."  
  
"Why not? Do you not trust us Dad?" Damien asked innocently and Severus' sneer deepened, "Of course not! Who would trust two teenagers such as yourselves alone together?!"  
  
Damien snickered and was about to retort when the Weird Sisters started to play a slow-song and Ginny squealed, "Oh I love this song! Can we dance? Please?" she pleaded and Severus smirked at Damien. Damien swallowed but nodded as he allowed the girl to lead him out onto the dance floor.  
  
"Have fun!" his father yelled mockingly after him.  
  
Damien blushed and sneered. "Don't worry about him." Ginny told him as she placed her arms around his neck. Damien nervously put his hands on her waist and the two started to dance.  
  
"Why do you care so much about what everyone thinks of you?" Ginny asked him softly. "Well its kind of hard not to when your monitored every single day of your life like an experiment...." Damien huffed.  
  
"Why don't you just forget about the wizarding world....for just tonight and really have fun?" Ginny asked him. "Please....for me?"  
  
There was something rather comforting about the way she spoke to him, as if her very life depended on his happiness. He smiled warmly at her, "Okay, I promise..."  
  
Ginny returned the smile, her brown eyes dancing merrily as she put her head on Damien's right shoulder.  
  
Damien blinked, expecting to feel embarrassed or nervous, but was surprised when he felt neither, instead he felt a happiness welling up inside him. He surprised himself when he rested his head on the side of hers and closed his eyes, letting the soft melody wash over him.  
  
The song ended but Damien and Ginny continued to dance until Ron let out a loud, "Go Damien!"  
  
Several couples that were standing nearby turned around curiously and Damien and Ginny broke apart, both blushing.  
  
Hermione huffed and swatted Ron on the back of the head ("Ow! What'd I do!").  
  
"You want to go take a walk in the garden?" Ginny asked him and he nodded immediately.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Severus watched his son and the Weasley-girl dance. He could easily see the obvious look of content on Damien's face and he suddenly felt pleased with the youngest Weasley for giving his son the comfort he deserved.  
  
He had heard the two teens' conversation while they had been dancing and felt that he couldn't agree more with the girl. He was rather thrilled when she had managed to finally make him feel relaxed for the first time since the beginning of the school year.  
  
When the song ended and the two were still dancing, he smiled, recalling his first dance, which had been with Lily.  
  
It had been so wonderful to have someone who cared about him, especially when he had been completely ignored at home. The first dance that they could attend had been in their fourth year but the first time he had actually danced with a girl he had liked had been in his sixth year, with Lily.  
  
They hadn't gone as a couple; merely as good friends and he remembered clearly the look on Potter's face when they had been dancing.  
  
That thought brought a smirk on his face.  
  
Lily had been one of the only people to care about him at that time. Only her and Dumbledore had really cared for him back then. She had been his best friend in their sixth and seventh year, after he had gotten over his stupid prejudice. He sometimes felt bad because he hadn't gotten to know her sooner.  
  
After he and Lily had become friends, it had changed Severus' whole outlook on school. School had seemed so much more fun after he had befriended her. Before, in his first through fifth years, he had been friends with Lucius Malfoy but Lucius hadn't really been that good of a friend, especially when all he had talked about was how 'mudbloods' shouldn't be allowed to attend the school and muggles shouldn't exist at all.  
  
Lily he thought to himself as he stared at Damien and Ginny, if only you could see our son now, you'd be so proud.......  
  
Severus was snapped out of his thoughts as Ron Weasley yelled, "Go Damien!" and the said boy and his girlfriend made a quick escape to the gardens.  
  
He snorted.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Damien and Ginny walked, hand in hand, around the flowers, not really looking at them.  
  
Damien sighed and sat down on a bench, Ginny sat beside him, "Is everything alright?" she asked him softly.  
  
He looked at her seriously. She was so beautiful, with her shiny, red hair and sparkling chocolate eyes.....  
  
Damien shook his head to clear his thoughts and said quietly, "Gin....I don't think we should be doing this anymore...."  
  
She stared, "Doing what?" she asked slowly. "Y-You mean, going out together? Being together?" Her voice was trembling now.  
  
Damien looked away, not able to see the look on her face, "....yes..."  
  
Ginny stared at him through wet eyes. "Why cant you look me in the eyes?" she whispered through unshed tears. "Why are you doing this? Why? Is it someone else? Did I do something wrong?"  
  
Damien shook his head vigorously, "No its not you...its me, its my fault..." he continued to look away.  
  
"Then why cant you look me in the eyes?" Ginny was starting to sound angry now.  
  
He said nothing.  
  
She stood up, "Go on! Look me in the eyes! Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want to be with me anymore!!" she shouted.  
  
He slowly turned to look into her fiery eyes, "I don't want to be with you anymore..." he told her slowly.  
  
"No!!!" Ginny screamed suddenly, "That's a lie and you know it!! What's wrong Damien? Why cant you tell me? You always used to be able to tell me things before!"  
  
He sighed, she was just to stubborn to let go.  
  
"What's happened to you Damien!" she whispered. "Why wont you talk to me like you used to? Is it You-Know-Who? Is it your father?"  
  
Damien said nothing.  
  
"What is it?!"  
  
He lowered his head, "I just don't want you to get hurt...." He whispered finally.  
  
Her bad mood evaporated instantly. "That's it?" she asked, sounding slightly relieved.  
  
"That's it?!" Damien yelled. "Do you know what its like to never be normal! To never have a normal life?! And then whenever you get close to someone they are tortured and killed?! Do you think I want that to happen to you, Gin?"  
  
Ginny sat back down next to him and put an arm around him. "Hey, what did me, Hermione, and Ron tell you before? We'll be here with you till the very end..."  
  
"But I'm getting marked Gin!" Damien burst out. "And do you know what Voldemort does to people if he finds out their spies? They not only kill them but they kill their families to! And you're my family Gin.....I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, Ron, Hermione, or Dad...." It had started out in a yell but ended in a whisper.  
  
Ginny placed her hands on her hips, "So you think that by distancing yourself from us then we'll be automatically safe?"  
  
Damien said nothing.  
  
"This is a war, Damien! A war! That means that everyone is in danger, not just your family! Not just the ones you love!" She put both her arms around him and hugged him, her head on his chest.  
  
"I would do anything for you, Damien.....anything......I love you...." She whispered, looking up at him through tearful eyes.  
  
Damien stared at her.  
  
"Please, don't take that away, Damien....just because you want to protect me, I can handle myself..." She told him.  
  
A slow smile spread across his face and he slowly nodded, Ginny was right.....it was stupid of him to try to distance himself from the ones he loved....it would just cause more problems.  
  
He looked down at the ginger head, resting against his chest and kissed the top of it.  
  
"I love you too..."  
  
() Oh! Ginny/Harry moment!! I think I'm going to cry!  
  
sniff  
  
Okay I know I went a little fast with the whole 'I love you' thing but they've loved each other for a long time, its just been kinda.... dormant. Seriously though I am not good at love scenes so please forgive me!  
  
OKAY! I just started another story; which is an answer to the Werewolf Challenge; so if anyone is interested, please check it out!  
  
And yes, it is going to be a Harry-is-Severus'-son thing.

Also I tried to get this chapter posted quickly so please forgive me for any mistakes I might have made.


	19. Chapter eighteen Gryffindor vs Slytherin

Once again thanks to everyone that reviewed!

Not much to say.....

Chapter eighteen- Gryffindor vs. Slytherin!

Damien was just about to go to bed when he heard someone knocking, followed by the girl in the portrait's angry yells for waking her up.  
  
He huffed and slowly opened the portrait to see Draco, hands on his hips, foot taping impatiently. "Well its about time! You're bloody painting was starting to sound like a banshee!" Draco snapped, glaring at the back of the portrait as Damien held it open.  
  
Without further ado, the blonde then walked inside Damien's room and plopped down on his bed. Damien shut the portrait silently and turned toward his fellow Slytherin.  
  
"Is there a reason that you're in here at two-thirty in the morning?" he asked quite coolly. Draco shrugged and smirked, "So how'd it go? Did you dump her?"  
  
"No!" Damien snapped, sounding offended.  
  
Draco grinned with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "So, what did you two do together? Alone...."  
  
Damien bristled, "Give me a break, Draco! I'm not stupid enough to do something like that!" Draco looked slightly put out. "Besides..." Damien continued, "Dad was watching the two of us like a hawk, the only time we got the least bit of privacy was in the gardens..."  
  
"Probably thinks you two are just two hormonal teenagers.....ah, love..." Draco said in a mock dreamy voice. Damien laughed.  
  
"Don't do that, it doesn't suit you....not to mention it makes you sound gay..." Damien sneered and Draco scowled, "I resent that!"  
  
The blonde perked up again, "Did you kiss?"  
  
Damien opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it and turned away.  
  
Draco busted out laughing.  
  
"Aww...ickle Damien gets his first kiss!" As Draco said that, he reminded Damien of the Weasley-twins, mocking Ron.  
  
"Shut up!" he grumbled to the blonde, "And it wasn't my first kiss..."  
  
The other boy stopped laughing immediately and looked at Damien expectantly, when he said nothing the blonde snapped, "Well? Are you going to tell me who it was or not?"  
  
Damien shrugged, "Doesn't matter, its in the past...besides, she did nothing but cry..." he said bitterly, quite out of character from the typical contained boy that he usually was.  
  
Draco noticed this and got up, stretching before he started towards the door.  
  
"First Quidditch match is next Saturday against Gryffindor!"  
  
Damien nodded, feeling slightly content as he thought about flying again.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Nervous?" Draco asked Damien for the fiftieth time at breakfast on Saturday.  
  
"No, Draco..." Damien said in the same bored voice he had answered the blonde in five minutes ago.  
  
"Okay good cause when you get nervous, you loose..."  
  
"I know.." Damien rolled his eyes.  
  
He could tell that Draco was rather nervous for him. Though Damien had no idea why, maybe because the blonde was afraid that he wasn't going to catch the snitch and everyone in Slytherin would blame Damien and they would hate him even more.  
  
Draco was still the only one that would talk to him in Slytherin.  
  
Montague stood and nodded to the other members of the Slytherin Team before starting on a rather long-winded speech as they gathered around his seat.  
  
Damien was too preoccupied with Montague and what he was saying to notice Zacharias Smith, who had brushed by their table on his way to the Hufflepuff table, slipping something into his pumpkin juice.  
  
After Montague's talk, he walked out of the Great Hall, the team trailing behind.  
  
"Good luck.." Draco murmured to him and Damien took a quick bite of his toast and a sip of his pumpkin juice before following them.  
  
Cheers erupted at the Slytherin table as they left.  
  
Damien followed the others to the locker room when a voice stopped them.  
  
"Damien?"  
  
He turned to see his father walking over to him. He nodded, "Professor..." he said respectfully, since the whole of the Slytherin team was behind him.  
  
Severus nodded to his house's team and a smirk appeared on his face, "Crush them into dust..." The team exchanged smirks and Montague said proudly, "Don't worry, we will sir..."  
  
They all filed out except Damien, who grinned at his father, "Do you usually tell them that?"  
  
His father smirked in response.  
  
"Good luck, Damien..." Severus told his son.  
  
Damien nodded and turned to hurry after the team when Severus added,  
  
"And........be careful..."  
  
Damien turned to the man and noticed the man looked slightly hesitant.  
  
Damien smiled, "I will....Dad..."  
  
He hurried out after the Slytherin team to the locker rooms and after putting on the emerald green robes, he waited with the other team, who were all chattering to lighten themselves up.  
  
Damien spoke to no one as he waited patiently; he heard the footsteps and chatter of the rest of the school as they filed into the Quidditch Stadium.  
  
He shivered, feeling slightly nervous...after all, he had never played for Slytherin before.  
  
"Hey, Damien!" he heard a feminine voice and he turned to see Pansy Parkinson making her way over to him, she had joined the team this year. He inwardly groaned.  
  
"Hello Pansy..." he muttered outwardly. "You nervous?" she asked casually and Damien arched an eyebrow, he would have thought that she had come over to flirt with him, as she did so much with Draco.  
  
"Do you want something?" he asked, his voice having an undertone of coolness.  
  
She arched an eyebrow at him, "I would have thought that you'd want some company! After all, everyone in Slytherin except Draco is either afraid of you or doesn't like you because you talk with Granger and Weasley so much."  
  
He sighed, "I just think your prejudices are rather stupid..."  
  
She sighed and sat down on a bench across from him. "Well they are but you know, we're not the only ones who are prejudice....they don't really treat us properly either.."  
  
"That's only because you guys always start it!" Damien said, slightly defensive of his old house.  
  
"No not really, we come here as first years and just because the older Slytherins are bastards to them then they treat us like shit, which of course causes us to treat them like shit also and it just starts this whole chain reaction...." She explained matter-of-factly.  
  
Damien blinked. When he had been 'Harry Potter' he had always thought that Pansy was some kind of boy-crazy idiot who really didn't know anything and followed Draco around like a puppy but now, she almost seemed like Hermione.......  
  
"Even some of the teachers treat us wrong....that's why Professor Snape favors us so much, because we are treated wrong in every other class and because we are hated by all the other houses...." She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and shrugged.  
  
"Sometimes I just want to go to another school where they wont have houses like this, y'know?" she looked at him expectantly and he nodded.  
  
"There's always going to be prejudice though...." He said, "if there weren't such prejudice around then we probably wouldn't have these wars..."  
  
"Ya.." she agreed, looking troubled. "I heard you and Draco are getting marked this December.."  
  
Damien nodded. "Aren't you?"  
  
She shook her head, "My parents aren't Death Eaters and never will be!"  
  
Damien almost choked on the water he was drinking, "They're not?! I could've sworn they were!"  
  
She shook her blonde head, "Nope.... My grandparents from my dad's side were Death Eater's but when my mom convinced him not to join, they disowned him..."  
  
"But...you act like you support him! You call Hermione a mudblood and you kind of act like a Death Eater's child!"  
  
She rolled her eyes, "Well I'd much rather be liked by at least my own house then hated by all four of them, wouldn't you?"  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the season! Slytherin vs. Gryffindor!!" Ernie Macmillan shouted through the 'Sonorus' charm.  
  
"And here comes the Slytherin Team, with their new Seeker due to Draco Malfoy's rather lethal stunt in Potion's...."  
  
"Macmillan I'm warning you...." Professor McGonagall growled.  
  
"Okay, okay Professor, so after Malfoy almost killed us in Potion's.."  
  
"MACMILLAN!"  
  
"Alright, alright. So for the new Slytherin line-up this year we have, Warrington, Montague, Crabbe, Goyle, Snape, Parkinson, aaaaaand Bulstrode...."  
  
Boos erupted from the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw's which were soon drowned out by cheers from the Slytherins and Damien suddenly swore to himself that he would never boo at the Slytherin team if he ever got back to his normal life. To put it bluntly, it wasn't a good feeling to be boo'd at by three quarters of the school.  
  
"And now for the Gryffindors" cheers erupted from all but the Slytherins, who hissed. "We have Weasley, Weasley, Bell, Kirke, Sloper, and the two newest teammates, Finnigan, and Thomas!" The cheers were drowned out by the boo's and hisses from Slytherin once again.  
  
"And now captains Montague and Bell shake hands..."  
  
To Damien it once again looked as if Montague was trying to break Katie's fingers, though she, like Angelina, did not flinch.  
  
Damien mounted his firebolt and rose into the air along with fourteen other brooms as the whistle blew and the game began.  
  
"Aaaaaand Bell has the Quaffle! She passes it to Thomas, who passes it to Finnigan, who again passes it back to Thomas and he shoots and.....HE SCORES!!!! That's ten points for Gryffindor!"  
  
Pansy, who was the new Slytherin keeper had missed by inches though Damien could tell that that wasn't going to happen very often.  
  
"Warrington has the Quaffle, he passes it to Bulstrode who passes it to Montague and Kirke hits a bludger his way......and it misses by feet.... Montague goes for the score...come on Ron, you can do it! He throws and.......HE SCORES! Ten to ten...."  
  
"Alright, Thomas has the Quaffle and passes it to Bell when....Warrington intercepts! He's taking it down the field, over to the Gryffindor side and.....he scores...." Ernie's voice sounded dull as Damien tried to block it out and search for the snitch.  
  
Ginny was trailing him and out of the corner of his eye, she smiled and winked at him.  
  
The cheers arose from the Slytherin side and they started up on 'Weasley is our king' once again. Damien rolled his eyes and flew above the game, glancing around for the snitch.  
  
Ginny flew up beside him, also looking. She smiled sweetly at him, "Damien...." She purred. "You will let me win, won't you?"  
  
Damien smirked, "Gin, I love you and all but I'm not going to let you win..."  
  
Ginny smirked back at him, "Alright, but I'm not going to go easy on you..."  
  
Damien chuckled, his eyes shining slightly as he made for the Slytherin end, looking for the snitch.  
  
Cheers erupted again from the Slytherin side as Warrington scored and Damien heard Ernie mutter dully, "....thirty to ten to Slytherin..."  
  
The singing of 'Weasley is our king' grew louder and Damien suddenly found it increasingly hard to concentrate.  
  
He glanced back to the Slytherin stands to see, with a great amount of satisfaction, that Draco hadn't joined in on the singing and was instead, looking at Pansy, who had just successfully caught the Quaffle that had been thrown by Katie.  
  
"Damien!" Pansy shrieked from her place at the Slytherin goal's. Damien whirled around to see Ginny, her red hair flying wildly, mere feet away from the snitch.  
  
Damien's heart fluttered as he gave a burst of speed toward her, laying flat on his firebolt. He was gaining on her, he was at her ankles, the snitch was inches away....  
  
Ginny started to reach out her hand, they were even, in a moment of desperation Damien threw himself forward and groped for the snitch and he felt his fingers close around the cool, golden ball, as he snatched it from the air. Ginny let out a frustrated shriek as they both flew to a stop, "You were supposed to let me win!" the redhead exclaimed and he grinned cheekily at her. She continued to scowl good-naturedly, though to everyone else, it would have looked real.  
  
The cheers that erupted from the Slytherin side were deafening and Damien felt rather overwhelmed by the noise. Ernie was shouting something, but he couldn't hear it, the noise was so overwhelming, so suffocating.  
  
A wave of dizziness passed over Damien briefly, before everything went black.  
  
() Oh my....was that a cliffy? Oops...I know how annoying those can be...  
  
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!!!!!! evil music plays in the background  
Okay, sorry about that....I am on a sugar high!!!!  
  
I know that it says that I updated this on July 6th but I finished writing this on the fourth of July!  
  
So HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYBODY!!!!!!  
  
It is approximately 10:00pm right now and I tried to go see fireworks but it was to crowded so I tried seeing them from my house but that didn't work either! But oh well, I still had a good Fourth of July. I had hotdogs!!  
  
Okay, okay I'll stop talking now so please.... gestures to review button  
  
Be Kind, REVIEW!!!!!  
  
Till next time  
  
BYE BYE!!!!!!J 


	20. Chapter nineteen Sickness and Pain

Hello! I'm back!!!  
  
Okay, I know you guys might be a little angry for that little cliffy........sorry..... Ahem....  
  
The usual:  
  
Disclaimer- Don't own it!!!!  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed..........YOU GUYS ROCK!!!  
  
And now, the chapter!!!  
  
Chapter nineteen- Sickness and Pain  
  
Pain......  
  
Unbearable, excruciating pain....  
  
Darkness.......  
  
Where was he? Why was it so dark? What happened?  
  
Damien groaned as he came to, shifting slightly under the sterile sheets of the Hospital Wing's bed.  
  
Big mistake. The moment he made movement his whole body was attacked by another fresh wave of pain. He bit his lip to suppress the pain and in moments, it started to bleed. He whimpered softly, letting go of his now bloodied lip and no longer having a thing to focus his pain on. He felt a cool palm settle against his feverish forehead and he heard the indistinct sound of murmuring, he couldn't make out the words.  
  
The owner of the hand seemed to be rather displeased by the heat from his forehead and he/she suddenly jerked back.  
  
Damien could dimly make out voices, yelling loudly at one another, threateningly..... Was it because of him? Had he done something wrong? The angry voices seemed to only get louder and Damien found himself shaking in terror as they grew more vicious.  
  
Someone clamped their hand on his shoulder roughly, causing him to cry out sharply in pain. Blissful silence met his ears and the shouting started up again.  
  
Damien lay there, shaking in pain as he felt a more gentle person pouring a disgusting potion down his throat as they murmured soft, comforting words to him. He choked but didn't resist, all he wanted to do was fall back into a blissful, pain free sleep. He yawned widely before allowing himself to sink back into the gentle lull of unconsciousness once again.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Damien awoke feeling much better, the unbearable pain now reduced to an annoying ache as he sat up, wincing slightly as his vision swam and his head pounded.  
  
He felt a warm hand settle on his shoulder and he looked up to see his father, sitting in a chair beside his bed. Damien eyed the man with shock, he had never, NEVER seen the man look so....so......disheveled.  
  
His father looked as if he had been up all night, he had bags under his bloodshot eyes and his skin was paler then usual. His hair, usually limp with grease from potions, was on end, sticking out in every direction, reminding Damien strongly of his previous hairstyle.  
  
"Lay back down, Damien," his father said with surprising gentleness.  
  
Damien groaned slightly as he felt his vision blur again and he swayed slightly. He gladly allowed the hand on his shoulder to coax him back to the soft comfort of the pillows. Damien swallowed, suddenly feeling very nauseous.  
  
"How do you feel?" The man asked him softly.  
  
Damien swallowed again and opened his mouth to tell the man that he wasn't feeling that good, but all that came out was a raspy croak. He was suddenly very thirsty.  
  
"....water..." he managed to whisper pleadingly to his father.  
  
Severus looked at him sadly and shook his head, "I cannot give you anything yet.....not until the poison is toned down a bit..."  
  
Damien looked at him with a tortured look as he shifted slightly, his head was spinning. He might not have been in a lot of pain, but he felt horribly sick.  
  
"Get some rest, Damien...." his father said, pulling the blanket up over Damien.  
  
Damien shook his head vigorously, "Hot...." he croaked hoarsely. Severus continued to pull the blanket up to Damien's chin. "You need to stay warm, Damien. You may think that you are hot, but that is only because of your fever and you-" the man broke off as Damien suddenly tore off the blankets, turned and retched over the side of the bed, which was luckily the opposite side of Severus.  
  
Damien whimpered slightly as he felt his head began to pound even more due to the sudden movement. He turned back toward his father, shivering despite him feeling hot.  
  
Severus made his way around the bed and with a wave of his wand, got rid of the mess. He disappeared for a moment, only to reappear with a basin of water, a washcloth, and a green, murky looking potion.  
  
Damien groaned again as he sat up to take the potion. Severus poured the sticky goop into his son's mouth with a grimace of pity. The boy choked but swallowed, pulling a disgusted face. He lay back down and Severus wet the cloth with the cool water in the basin and gently placed it on Damien's forehead.  
  
The boy seemed to breath a sigh of comfort and Severus smiled, "Better?" he asked quietly.  
  
At Damien's nod, Severus murmured, "Now try to get some rest...." before the boy fell asleep, being protectively watched over by his father.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Hermione Granger was a good girl. She was a Gryffindor prefect, got top grades in all of her classes, and had gotten the highest OWL in her year. Most of the teachers adored her because of her kindness and because of her hard dedication to school work. Not only that but she was also a part of the infamous Golden-trio. She was the genius, the one who came up with all of the ideas, the one who always figured out things first, and the one who always, ALWAYS looked out for her friends and stayed completely loyal to them no matter what, even if it meant being a bad girl and breaking the rules every once and a while.  
  
That's why, at eleven in the evening the same day of the Quidditch Match, she and her two friends snuck up to the Hospital Wing to visit another friend, who had almost been killed that day.  
  
Hermione glanced at the Marauder's Map with determination as she pulled the Invisibility Cloak around her, Ron, and Ginny tighter. She was determined to see Damien tonight and nothing, not even a teacher was going to stop her from seeing her friend.  
  
The only others that shared the same determination were the two beside her. Ginny had been crying all evening while Ron had been cursing Snape for not letting them in the Hospital Wing to see their best friend.  
  
Hermione knew that Snape was only looking out for the well being of his son, but she couldn't help but feel some sort of anger toward the man. It surprised her though, how much her usually cold and uncaring professor cared so much about his son, whom he used to hate with a passion.  
  
She remembered with a slight smile what had happened after Damien had fallen after the Quidditch match.  
  
#######FLASHBACK#########  
  
_Hermione sighed as Damien caught the snitch and couldn't help but smile in amusement. Of course Damien would catch the snitch first he was a born flyer. She briefly wondered if Professor Snape could fly well and if Damien had inherited his wonderful flying from him. She couldn't help but giggle at the thought of Professor Snape, his black robes billowing menacingly behind him as he soured on a broomstick, arm extended, a sneer on his face as he caught the golden ball.  
  
She would have laughed aloud if she hadn't been around her housemates, who were all groaning because of their lose.  
  
Hermione stood and started down the stands to wait for her boyfriend and her two friends to get back from the locker room. She briefly glanced up at the said friends, who were still on their broomsticks and rolled her brown eyes. What was so good about quidditch anyway?  
  
Shaking her head, her brown hair blowing in her face annoyingly, she stepped down the last stand and onto the ground when she heard a collective gasp of alarm followed by several screams.  
  
Hermione whirled around to see something that made her heart stop....  
  
Damien was falling from what looked like about two hundred feet up. Ginny was souring after him on her broomstick.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dumbledore shoot a spell at Damien, which made him slow down slightly.  
  
Ginny had almost reached him, but Hermione knew she wouldn't reach him in time.  
  
Another scream reached her ears as Damien made contact with the ground, a loud 'CRACK' echoing over the Quidditch Pitch. It took her a couple moments to realize that she was the one who was screaming.  
  
Without a second thought, she dashed to the pitch, seeing Ginny and Ron flying over to him in panic.  
  
As she reached him a dark figure ran up to the unconscious boy. It was Professor Snape and Hermione briefly wondered how the man had gotten to the pitch so fast when the teachers' stands were one of the highest stands.  
  
The whole Slytherin team, along with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny crowded around the boy and his father.  
  
Hermione had never seen Professor Snape like this, he looked horror-struck, his pale hands paler then normal were shaking as he gently turned over Damien.  
  
Hermione felt tears welling up in her eyes and beside her, Ginny burst into tears.  
  
Damien was sporting a large bruise on his left cheek his head was bleeding profusely from a rather large gash in his forehead. His arm was twisted a completely wrong way and Hermione felt her own arm ache as she saw it. The boy looked so very pale, a slight grayish tint to his skin. He was breathing so shallow.  
  
He groaned slightly as he shifted, his eyes fluttering open. He hissed in pain as he tried to sit up and immediately collapsed back into unconsciousness.  
  
Professor Snape gathered the boy into his arms, cradling him to his chest.  
  
Hermione all but fell over as she saw the man's eyes glittering oddly. Were those tears?! She glanced over at Ron and Ginny. The later was crying to hard to notice and Ron was gawking openly at the man.  
  
"Out of the way! Move!" Snape snapped to all of them, though his voice sounded weaker then usual. They all obediently moved out of the man's way as he hurried up to the Hospital Wing with his precious load.  
  
Hermione exchanged glances with her boyfriend, Ron now looked rather pale instead of shocked.  
  
The two helped Ginny up as they made their way to the Hospital Wing to see their wounded friend...  
_  
########END FLASHBACK#########  
  
Hermione continued to smile slightly as the three made their way through the portrait and down the corridor.  
  
"Where did you get Damien's Invisibility Cloak and map from, anyway?" Ron whispered to her as they started down the staircase and made their way through another dark corridor.  
  
"He let me borrow it a while ago...." Ginny answered for Hermione as they reached the entrance to the Hospital Wing. They quietly crept into the dark room and made their way over to the only occupied bed.  
  
Hermione glanced around briefly before taking off the cloak. The three gathered around their friend's bed and gazed at his pale face in concern and sadness.  
  
Ginny reached out and tucked an errant strand of raven hair behind his ear as she reached out to hold his hand almost cautiously, as if she was afraid she would break him.  
  
"He looks so frail.......and vulnerable...." She whispered sadly as she gazed at the boy's pale face. Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement.  
  
Damien did look very different. He looked so helpless, a far cry from the brave and sometimes defiant boy they were so used to seeing. They had never seen him look like this, and it was an almost chilling sight to see the person who you looked up to as a leader so helpless and fragile.  
  
The three sat there for who knows how long simply staring at their friend, neither one worrying about teachers seeing them, which proved to be a big mistake.  
  
"And what, may I ask, are three insufferable Gryffindors such as yourselves doing here at almost midnight on a Saturday?" a silky voice snapped to them coldly.  
  
The three jumped and turned around quickly to see Professor Snape sitting in a chair in the corner closest to Damien's bed, his arms crossed and a sneer on his face.  
  
Hermione squeaked, paling as she thought of the horrible consequences that awaited them. Ron gulped audibly and moved over to Hermione as if to protect her from their professor.  
  
Ginny, however, remained where she was as she stared back at him unflinchingly.  
  
"We came to visit Damien, sir" the redhead told the menacing professor bluntly. "We wanted to see if he was alright ourselves, since we didn't get to see him today...."  
  
Snape arched an eyebrow at the girl.  
  
Ron blinked and hissed quietly, "Ginny! Shut up!"  
  
"Afraid that I will use you and your friends for a potion's ingredient Mr. Weasley?" the professor's tone was mocking as his mouth curled into a smirk. "Gryffindor foolishness is hereditary I suppose...."  
  
"Please sir.....we just wanted to see Damien-" Hermione began but Severus cut her off.  
  
"Damien is unwell as you idiots can clearly see, you were told that the fourth time you asked if you could see him or did you not listen?" Snape hissed, "....wouldn't be the first time..." he mumbled and Hermione turned a lovely shade of pink.  
  
His mouth curled back into a sneer as he continued when neither teenager spoke up, "Seeing as how you Gryffindors have a certain disregard for the rules, I will see to it that your punishment is quite harsh...." He tapped his chin in thought, "I suppose I'll just have to start with taking fifty points from Gryffindor each....."  
  
Snape smirked as he saw the youngest male Weasley gawk.  
  
"Now I suppose a couple weeks of detention will due.....with me and Filch, yes that will due nicely...." He drawled with certain coolness in his voice.  
  
".....Dad....don't...please..." a weak whisper sounded from the bed.  
  
Severus blinked and almost immediately jumped into action as he hurried to get the same murky potion, a basin of water, and a rag once again.  
  
"Damien!" Ginny squealed, practically throwing herself on him. Hermione and Ron immediately followed in suit.  
  
Damien choked, gagging slightly at the weight that had just been thrown on his stomach.  
  
"What do you think you are doing! Get off of him, you want him to retch on you?!" Snape all but yelled as he hurried to his son's side. The three immediately jumped off from Damien as Severus began to start the procedure that he'd already done several times that day.  
  
He helped Damien sit up and gently tilted his son's head up to pour the goopy mess into the boy's mouth. The boy choked, nearly gagging again. Severus then wet the cloth and put it on the boy's forehead, holding it steady.  
  
"Can.....can I p-please have....some water.....?" Damien moaned, his emerald eyes looking pleadingly at his father.  
  
"You may try some water tomorrow if you think you can keep it down..." Severus said softly to Damien.  
  
Ron was again gaping open-mouthed at Snape.  
  
"Close your mouth Mr. Weasley, its not entirely becoming!" Snape growled in annoyance to the boy, who immediately shut his mouth with a snap.  
  
"How are you feeling Damien?" Ginny asked gently as she took his hand in hers. He smiled at the redheaded girl charmingly, "Like....like I swallowed...acid..." he managed, obviously unable to speak much.  
  
"That must suck.." Ron said bluntly and Hermione smacked him on the back of his head ("Ow! What'd I do?!").  
  
Damien smiled at his friends' immature antics and Ginny sighed overdramatically.  
  
"As much as I hate to break this little reunion up..." Severus decided to speak up sarcastically. "Damien needs his rest if he is to make a full recovery....the potion you ingested was a rather strong and rare one...." His mouth curled into a sneer, "Whomever slipped the potion into your food or drink stole the ingredients for it from my personal store...."  
  
"Who was it?" Ron asked and Ginny rolled her eyes. "We don't know you idiot!" she huffed.  
  
"But rest assured Mr. Weasley..." Severus said, making Ron's eyes snap back to him, "If I ever find out who did do it then they will have detention until they graduate with Mr. Filch....not to mention that their house will not be any competition for quite a while for the House Cup..."  
  
"It was probably a Slytherin!" Ron declared suddenly and Damien resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  
  
"Do you always jump to us whenever it comes to poisoning people? Even if it is one of our own?" a voice said and Ginny, Ron, and Hermione jumped as Draco Malfoy walked into the Hospital Wing, his arms folded.  
  
"Are you alright, Damien?" the blonde asked, his voice guarded as he eyed the pale boy in front of him.  
  
Damien shrugged nonchalantly, "I've.....had worse injuries....its just....the sickness that-that kills me..." He took a deep breath after saying all of that and Draco snorted, "Not so high and mighty now are you?" he said in a mock-sardonic voice. Damien merely grinned sheepishly.  
  
Severus cleared his throat, "I thought I told you three to get back to your dormitories!"  
  
"No.....you told them....that I needed my rest....." Damien smirked cheekily and his father gave him a look as if to say, 'Don't push it'.  
  
"You seem to be getting stronger already, Damien..." Hermione said brightly, "You're talking a lot more clearly!"  
  
Damien snorted, "That's only because I haven't retched for a good couple hours...." He paled at the thought and groaned.  
  
Severus huffed, "Alright, everyone out! Its midnight and he needs his rest if he is going to be coming back to classes any time soon!" he snapped.  
  
"See you Damien...." Hermione said as she hugged. Ron nodded, "Yeah, see you soon mate....I hope..."  
  
"By Damien..." Ginny told him, hugging him also and kissing him on the cheek. Draco nodded also and the four left.  
  
Severus sighed and sat down in a now empty chair, "Get some rest Damien..." he told his son quietly.  
  
Damien nodded and yawned widely before sinking back into the covers gratefully, hopeful for a decent night's sleep.....  
  
He started when Severus suddenly sat up and peered at him curiously, with an arched eyebrow before exclaiming,  
  
"And since when has Draco Malfoy gotten along with Granger and the two Weaselys?!"  
  
() Okay, I'm hungry and I'm about to go buy myself a sandwich so....ya...  
  
A lot of people seem to be on vacation and some of the stories that I'm reading on are being delayed..........  
  
Sniff......  
  
So please be kind and Review!!  
  
Bye!  
  
( 


	21. Chapter twenty Recovery and a DE meeting

Okay I'm back!!!  
  
Okay! Thanks once again to my reviewers, I've said it before and I shall say it again, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!! Trust me, I read each and every review so don't think you are reviewing for nothing....  
  
OKAY something I forgot to mention is that the werewolf challenge has been altered slightly. A reviewer of mine seemed to think that I was asking for to much and I agreed so I got rid of a few requirements, but it's still basically the same thing!  
  
I'll stop blabbering (I do that a lot don't I?) and here's the next chapter!!!!!!!!  
  
Chapter twenty- Recovery and the Death Eater meeting  
  
Damien didn't quite remember what happened during the next couple of days. It all seemed like a blur, a rather painful blur and everything seemed to be going far to fast for Damien's comatose brain to comprehend.  
  
He could no longer keep track of the days and nights. The only morning he remembered was the morning after his midnight visit from Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco. He had drunk some water, too thirsty to even pay the least bit of attention to his turning stomach.  
  
Big mistake.  
  
Let's just say the water didn't stay down, it seemed to make Damien's healing process slow down.  
  
The only thing that Damien could really keep track of was waking up, drinking the murky potion his father gave to him and feeling the wet cloth that was placed on his forehead, before he would slip back into unconsciousness once again, only to wake up what seemed like minutes afterward, retching all over the place.  
  
His father had told him (when he had had trouble falling back to sleep) that the potion he was giving him was intentionally making him throw up so he could get the poison out of his system.  
  
Damien wasn't pleased at all.  
  
The worse part was that his father had said that it could take up to a week and a half to get the poison out of his system.  
  
So the last couple of days had seemed like just a pain-filled whirlwind for Damien, he constantly felt dizzy, hungry, thirsty, hot, and nauseous which was, by far, the worst feeling in the world.  
  
The only thing that Damien could really remember was his father. The man was always, ALWAYS there when he woke, to personally give him the potion and to personally apply the cloth to his forehead. He was always there when Damien woke and was always there to sooth him after he had been violently sick.  
  
So this is what it felt like to have a parent...to be loved...  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Oy, Mate!"  
  
Damien nearly toppled out of bed. He looked up to see Ron, looking at him uneasily.  
  
"What is it!" Damien hissed quietly, feeling quite light-headed. He shook his head to clear it and glanced around the dark infirmary, "Where's my dad? He's never not been here before...."  
  
Ron looked slightly uncomfortable as the redhead nodded toward a curtained off bed beside Damien's.  
  
Damien's eyes widened as realization hit him. "W-What happened to him? Is he okay?"  
  
Ron frowned and shrugged, "Not sure but Dumbledore told me to wake you up, he's coming down to explain everything in a couple minutes...."  
  
"Actually, Mr. Weasley, he is already here," said a quiet voice and the two boys turned to see Dumbledore, gliding over toward them, "Thank you for waking up Damien but if you would be so kind as to excuse us, Mr. Weasley, I would very much appreciate it...."  
  
Ron nodded and glanced at Damien uneasily before he walked out of the Hospital Wing, shutting the door quietly behind him.  
  
Damien looked expectantly at his headmaster, "What happened to Dad?" he asked nervously, dreading the answer, "Is he going to be alright?"  
  
Dumbledore sighed, suddenly looking ten years older.  
  
"Severus will be fine after a couple days' rest," the old man said. "Do you know what the date is, Damien?"  
  
Damien furrowed his brow in concentration, "No.....I've....lost track..."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, "Quite understandable considering your current condition. It is December the third, Mr. Snape....." Dumbledore paused and looked at Damien, "Do you know what was supposed to happen at the beginning of December?"  
  
The Slytherin blinked in confusion before his mind clicked, "I...I was supposed to be.......marked in the first Death Eater's meeting....." he trailed off and his eyes widened.  
  
"Don't tell me that there was a meeting last night!" he almost begged. Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so, my boy.....and your father couldn't and wouldn't bring you because of you being sick...."  
  
"...so Voldemort.....punished him didn't he?" Damien began to panic. "So Voldemort knows that Dad is a spy?!"  
  
Dumbledore shook his head, "No, we got lucky at that part. The young Mr. Malfoy covered for Severus by telling Tom that you were ill, so Severus was spared......"  
  
Damien breathed a sigh of relief before he shot up, "Draco's marked now, isn't he?" he whispered in fear.  
  
Dumbledore once again nodded solemnly, "He is......Draco was very lucky that Tom wasn't in a bad mood, or else I daresay that he would've came to us in the same condition as Severus...."  
  
Damien swallowed and glanced at the bed beside him. "Can I see him, sir?"  
  
"Damien, though you are very close to recovery, you are still unwell and Severus would probably have a fit if you were to risk that by getting out of bed to see him..." Dumbledore told the boy.  
  
"But I have to see him!" Damien exclaimed. "I have to see if he's okay! I don't want to loose three fathers....."  
  
Dumbledore felt his heart crumble as he looked at Damien's face, the boy looked absolutely forlorn. "I'm sure he will be well enough to get up and see you tomorrow, Damien, that post-Cruciatus Curse potion really can do wonders...."  
  
The old man smiled at Damien and took something off the bedside table. It was the murky potion and the damp cloth.  
  
"Cheers...." He said in an amused voice as he handed Damien the potion.  
  
The boy sneered at him before downing the potion, pulling a disgusted face. He laid back down and Dumbledore gently applied the damp cloth to his forehead.  
  
"Get some rest or your father will eradicate me..." the man smiled and the boy sank back into the pillows.  
  
The door shut softly as the headmaster left and Damien yawned widely, turning to look at his father's bed with apprehension, "Get well soon Dad.......I need you..." he whispered forlornly.  
  
He woke up a couple hours later, there was just a bit of light rising over the horizon, informing Damien that it was about six or seven in the morning.  
  
But at the time, Damien didn't really care about the time.  
  
His stomach was turning, he felt queasy...and he was burning up. He opened his mouth to call for his father, only to remember that the man was unconscious, in the bed next to him, so he tried to call for Madame Pomfrey, his stomach protested immediately and Damien turned over the side of the bed, retching all over the floor.........again.  
  
He groaned, his head was on fire! He felt clammy, shivers coursing through him despite the scorching heat he was feeling. His head was pounding, his throat sore and scratchy from just recently being sick.  
  
He rolled over onto his back, wrapping his arms around himself as he lay there, shivering miserably and whimpering involuntarily. He tried opening his eyes only for his head to explode in pain, blurring his vision horribly and making him unwilling clamp his eyes shut once again. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his forehead.  
  
"Lay....still Damien...I'll.....I'll get you a cooling cloth...you're to warm...." The voice sounded weak and raspy, though Damien recognized it immediately.  
  
"...Dad...?" he asked feebly.  
  
"Hush..." his father told him, sounding as if he were pushing something heavy. A moment later Damien felt a damp, cool cloth being placed on his forehead. He had never felt anything so soothing before and he let out a relieved sigh.  
  
"Dad...you shouldn't be out of bed, you're injured...." He said quietly.  
  
"That's my business, Damien...." His father told him softly, "The poison is almost completely out of your system.....only about another day or two and you should be fine..." he seemed to pause once every couple seconds to catch his breath.  
  
"W-What about you? Are you okay?" Damien asked in concern.  
  
"Yes...I'll be alright...." Severus didn't really seem to care about his own health as he continued to keep his hand on Damien's forehead. Damien frowned, "He....he still wants me marked, doesn't he?" he asked quietly.  
  
Severus nodded also frowning.  
  
"Is Draco okay?" Damien asked. Severus sighed, "He's fine.......marked, but fine..."  
  
"When am I to be marked....?" Damien whispered, dreading the answer. "Next Death Eater meeting....." his father responded with surprising iciness. "Which will be rather sooner then later, he's planning an attack...."  
  
"Where?" Damien shivered slightly at the thought of being one of the Death Eater's in the attack.  
  
"Not quite sure yet.....somewhere close to Hogwarts.....I think Hogsmeade..."  
  
Damien's eyes widened and a sense of dread washed over him as he realized that this was actually happening, it wasn't some game that you could just start over again if you failed. Of course he had always known that the war was happening and was real, and he had always known that it was going to be a cruel and lethal war no doubt but........he just never knew HOW cruel it was going to be until he realized that it could be possible that Voldemort would attack somewhere so close to Hogwarts........so close to his friends and the ones that he loved.....  
  
He felt a hand on his shoulder and finally opened his eyes to see his father sitting on the floor next to the bed. "That really can't be good for your injuries..." he told the man.  
  
Severus shrugged and remained on the floor.  
  
"I'll be alright."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Unfortunately, Severus was correct about the Death Eater meeting and only two days after Damien had been released from the Hospital Wing, Severus came hurrying into the Snake Pit, clutching his left forearm.  
  
He and Draco had been playing Wizard's Chess when the man came hurrying in.  
  
"It's time to go...." He said quickly, glancing around at the other Slytherins cautiously. He nodded to Draco.  
  
"Hey, good luck....and be careful..." Draco murmured quietly, his light blue eyes filled with unease. Damien nodded soberly to him.  
  
"If you happen to see Ginny or Hermione or Ron..."  
  
"Don't worry.....I'll let them know where you are..." Draco reassured him.  
  
"And tell them not to worry..." Damien added quickly as he stood up to put his cloak on. Draco merely nodded.  
  
Damien followed his father out of the Snake Pit and up into the Entrance Hall, it was around nine at night, past curfew, so the only ones who were up were teachers and prefects.  
  
Severus slipped mask on and looked at his son, "Are you sure you want to do this? You can still back out, I don't have to be a spy...."  
  
"Yes you do!" Damien exclaimed quietly. "Draco needs you now and you're not going to get tortured on my behalf." He told his father.  
  
Severus eyed him wearily as they made their way out onto the grounds. "I really don't want you to do this...." He whispered to him, letting his emotions show for once. "I would rather die then see you wear his mark....."  
  
"But I wouldn't rather you die!" Damien cried out desperately. "I don't want you to die, I've already lost my step-father and my godfather.....I don't want to loose my father too." He sounded downright miserable and Severus put an arm around him. "And I don't want to loose you...."  
  
Damien said nothing as he stared straight ahead.  
  
Severus suddenly stopped and plucked something out of his pocket before handing it to Damien. It was a bright green potion, glowing slightly in its small vial. "Drink it..." his father told him.  
  
"What does it do?" Damien asked as he took it into his hands, the potion felt warm and almost soothing in his gloved hands.  
  
"I've been working on it for a couple months now...." Severus told him. "It's supposed to break the connection you have with Voldemort for a couple hours....."  
  
Damien stared at his father, "That's brilliant!" he exclaimed. "I'd almost forgotten.....and my cover would definitely have been blown...." He stared at Severus with esteem, he knew his father was a good Potion's Master but this was absolutely genius, and to Damien it was a lifesaver.  
  
He quickly downed the glowing emerald potion and felt warmth spread through his body.  
  
They walked past the Anti-Apparation wards and Severus pulled out a quill. He tapped it once with his wand and threw his arm around Damien again. "Hold on..."  
  
Damien grabbed one end of the quill and felt the tug behind his naval before a rush of color and sound surrounded them both.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Damien felt a rush of trepidation as they both landed just outside the Riddle House and they both walked in.  
  
Severus still had an arm around Damien and the man tightened his hold briefly before he took his arm off. Damien all of the sudden felt as if he were completely and utterly alone now, without the warm arm draped around his shoulders that had given him some sense of comfort and reassurance. He quickly occluded his mind as they walked in the meeting room.  
  
They were the only ones, was the first thing that Damien noticed as he glanced around the room.  
  
"Ah Sseveruss..." he heard a raspy hiss from the chair in front of them, which was turned so they couldn't see Voldemort. "Your son comesss at lasst...."  
  
Damien felt a shiver go down his spine as the chair turned and Lord Voldemort stared at him through slanted red eyes. Unlike the last time Damien had met Voldemort, the man actually looked a little bit human. He had a new body, not the reptilian one that he had obtained at the end of Damien's fourth year, but instead his body looked like an older version of Tom Riddle. His skin was still as pale as ever and he had raven black hair that looked a bit like 'Harry Potter's' had. His face was human enough, besides the rather unusual pale skin and red eyes. But even if Voldemort did look human now, he would always be a monster.  
  
Severus bent down to his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes, "My Lord..." Damien heard his father murmur humbly.  
  
Damien stayed where he was, bowing his head respectfully to the monster, avoiding eye contact.  
  
"Damien Sssnape," the Dark Lord hissed. "I have heard great thingsss about you from your dear father here....and I expect great things from you," Voldemort paused to look at him up and down as if sizing Damien up. "You have a lot of potential.....I can tell...you will prove to be a valuable asset to me....but are you loyal?"  
  
Damien took a deep breath silently as he stepped up to the Dark Lord and fell to one knee in front of the monster, his head bowed low.  
  
"I live to serve you, my Lord..." his voice remained emotionless, his eyes averted to the floor.  
  
"You sssay thisss as if you have alwaysss been in my ssservicce....yet you only learned about me a couple monthsss ago....when you were firssst moved to England...." The raspy voice sounded slightly suspicious, "Tell me, Damien Ssnape, you lived with muggless your whole life and yet you pledge your loyalty to wizardsss and witchesss who ssslaughter them....makess me wonder if you were told what to sssay and do..."  
  
Damien winced inwardly, he heard his father shift slightly from his place beside Voldemort.  
  
"I pledge my loyalty to you, my Lord, not only because it was muggles who killed my mother but also because I want power......and I was told that I could seek power from you, my Lord..." he said quietly and what he hoped sounded sincere.  
  
He heard his father inhale sharply as silence met his ears.  
  
Damien kept his gaze on the ground, his hands clasped tightly behind his back as he hoped and prayed with every cell of his being that the Dark Lord would believe him.  
  
Then suddenly Voldemort started to laugh, quietly at first before it got louder and Damien shivered slightly.  
  
"Well young Ssnape..." Voldemort said once he had regained his composure. "I musst sssay that you have got guts...and I like that in my Death Eaterss....mosst of my mosst loyal Death Eaters can't even ssspeak their mind because they are to afraid...." Damien could feel the Dark Lord's gaze burning into him.  
  
"Oh yesss, you will be mosst valuable to me indeed Damien Ssnape..." Voldemort hissed. "Come here, Damien...." The monster commanded him.  
  
Damien stood up gracefully and walked over to Voldemort, who had one hand outstretched.  
  
"Give me your left arm...."  
  
Damien swallowed, there was no turning back now....he chanced a glance at his father, but he couldn't see the man's face of course.  
  
He extended his left arm and Voldemort grabbed it tightly, yanking up his sleeve to reveal the boy's pale, unmarked forearm. He touched Damien's forearm with his pointer and middle finger and murmured softly, "Mordsmordre!"  
  
Damien suddenly felt as if someone had put the Cruciatus on him but the pain all went to his forearm. It felt as if hot needles were piercing into his flesh followed by something traveling through him that felt akin to liquid fire.  
  
He bit his lip to suppress the scream welling up in his throat and squeezed his eyes tightly shut to hold back the tears. He knew Voldemort would not like it if he were to start tearing up.  
  
And finally, it was over and Damien felt the Dark Lord release his arm as he stumbled back slightly, clutching it tightly with his own hand. He could feel fresh blood pouring out of the gash.  
  
He clenched his teeth and willed himself to proceed as he looked up at his father and his new 'master'. His father had stayed by Voldemort's side even though he was shifting slightly, as if he were itching to run over to Damien and hold him.  
  
The Dark Lord smirked maliciously and said, "You are to serve me and only me until the day you die Damien Snape, if you betray or disobey me in any way then you will be not only tortured but butchered as well, understand?" Voldemort snapped, his raspy hisses long gone as he spoke hard and cold to Damien.  
  
Damien slowly nodded, feeling fear rise up in him as he thought, What have I done?! He swallowed and quickly reassured himself that this was saving his father's life as well as others and he was willing to pay any price for that....  
  
"Good..." the monster smirked and whipped out his wand.  
  
"Crucio!"  
  
Damien fell to his knees as the searing pain ripped through his young, unbroken body......he only hoped that he would stay that way before the war was over.... The pain seemed so much more painful then when he had been in the graveyard almost two years ago. Voldemort held it much longer and finally he lifted the curse and Damien fell to the ground unceremoniously.  
  
Voldemort sneered and spat to Severus, "Teach him manners or I will!" before he dismissed them and marched out of the room.  
  
As soon as the hem of Voldemort's robe whipped out of sight, Severus dropped down on his knees beside Damien and gathered the boy up in his arms.  
  
"Damien? Damien! Are you alright? Can you hear me?!" the man whispered desperately as he shook Damien gently.  
  
The boy groaned and shifted slightly, hissing in pain as he tried to sit up. "Don't move..." Severus told him softly. "We'll get you back to the Hospital Wing and get you some Post-Cruciatus potion just hold on..."  
  
Damien nodded slowly but stopped as his head pounded. His arm was still bleeding freely and Severus tore off a piece of his Death Eater robe to wrap the arm around in tightly.  
  
Tenderly, as if he were holding glass, Severus picked Damien up and held the boy against him as he gently brushed some hair out of the boy's face absentmindedly.  
  
He hurried out of the Riddle House and took out the portkey, activating it immediately and instantly disappearing with a rush of color.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"POPPY!!" Severus bellowed as he hurried into the Hospital Wing, taking no notice to Pansy, who had taken a bludger to the head during Quidditch practice.  
  
The nurse came bustling out. "Severus, what in the name of....oh my!!" she immediately switched into nurse mode as she hurried over to Severus to help him, "Here lets put him on the bed right over there!"  
  
"Be careful with him!"  
  
Pansy sat up on her bed and looked at her head of the house as they surrounded someone that she couldn't see frantically. She listened to the hysterical conversation.  
  
"Get the Post-Cruciatus Potion, it's in the cupboard over there-"  
  
"We need to dress his arm...it won't stop bleeding!"  
  
"He's convulsing! We need to calm him down!"  
  
"It wasn't bleeding this much when I got marked..."  
  
"Get the Calming Potion too!"  
  
"Damien! You need to calm down, son..."  
  
Pansy's eyes widened in shock. That was Damien!! Well, she knew he was getting marked.....Draco had gotten marked a couple days ago and he had told her that he was.... Was he okay? Why would he be convulsing? Why did he need a Calming Potion?  
  
"Did you speak to the headmaster?" Poppy asked Severus as she uncorked the Post-Cruciatus Potion. Severus shook his head.  
  
"Come on, Damien...." The Potion's Master said warmly, "You need to drink these potions, you'll feel better after you do..."  
  
Damien groaned in response and Severus helped his son sit up as Poppy carefully poured the first potion into the boy's mouth. He choked it down awkwardly and took several breaths before downing the second potion.  
  
The doors to the Hospital Wing burst open and in strode Dumbledore, his normally cheerful face completely grave and lined with worry. The old man made his way to his student's side and looked down at the boy in concern.  
  
"Is he alright? The Cruciatus Curse I suppose?" Dumbledore said, staring at Damien. Severus nodded shortly and said to Poppy, "Give him the Anti- Bleeding Potion also, his arm won't stop bleeding..."  
  
"How'd he do?" Dumbledore asked quietly and Severus sighed. "Fine....too fine, Voldemort seems very interested in him. Says he has potential and will probably want to train him in the future...." The normally cold man sounded forlorn as he stared hopelessly down at his son.  
  
Dumbledore put a hand on Severus' shoulder, "He'll make it don't worry. He has a part of both Lily and you in him.....he's the best of both of you...."  
  
Severus nodded, still looking worn. "I shouldn't have let him do it! Why did I let him?! How could I be so stupid!"  
  
Dumbledore gave Severus' shoulder a tight squeeze, "What's done is done, Severus and there's nothing you can do about it..."  
  
Damien opened his eyes tiredly and looked around, everything looked to blurry.  
  
"Get some rest, Damien," his father told him from beside him. He groaned and tried to tell the man that he couldn't, that he was in far to much pain to even think about resting.  
  
The man seemed to read his mind as he looked up and said to someone, "Give him some Dreamless Sleep Potion also..."  
  
Damien choked down his fourth potion, and a moment later, he fell into the blissful, painless thing known as sleep.  
  
() Whew!! Okay done with that!  
  
I know that many of you didn't want Damien to get marked but......he has to.....it fits into the plot.......sorry.....  
  
#grins apologetically#  
  
If anyone has any requests for the story then I'll be happy to comply. It's not that I'm running out of ideas, its just I think that you, the readers, should get to pick some stuff to, don't you?  
  
Well thanks for reading and please,  
  
Be kind, review!!  
  
Bye!  
  
( 


	22. Chapter twenty one The heir of Slytherin

Thanks once again to everyone who reviewed.

**Pure Black**- Thanks!

**Hakkai - Gojyo - Goku - Sanzo**- She got hit by a bludger during Quidditch practice. Thanks!

**Nerfi-Tiri**- lol, sorry! Thanks!

**Padawan Jan-AQ**- Yep! Pansy can be trusted! I haven't really read many fanfics with Pansy turning good but.......I wanted it to be a kinda non-cliche (if I spelled that right). Thanks!

**Lady Lily3**- Well......it will probably dissapear when Voldemort dies (it may not be at the end of the year though). Thanks!

**Makalani Astral**- Thanks!

**SheWolfe7**- Thanks! I'm trying to make there be some action but I don't know if I'm doing very good #grins#. And also Pansy will not run to Voldemort and tell.

**Anarane Anwamane**- Thanks!

**RandiWeasley**- No Voldemort doesn't know that Damien is really Harry Potter. He is just hard on him because I think he is naturally that hard on his Death Eaters and also because he thought Damien didn't have any manners. Thanks for the review!

**charlie-potter1**- Yep and it's finally happened! Thanks!

**HecateDeMort**- Thanks!

**Catti**- Thanks!

**sum1strange**- #blushes# Thanks! Hope you like the chapter!

**Bruja-Boricua**- Thanks! I'll try to but like I said, I don't have much time on the internet. I just got my computer back and it's really slow :(

**Nadezhda**- Yeah, Damien has it bad but it won't last, don't worry! Thanks!

**Charmed-103**- They might in the later chapters. Thanks!

**starangel2106**- Thanks!

**athenakitty**- Let's see. They might find out who poisoned Damien in later chapters, the Dark Mark will dissapear after Voldemort dies (which I think will happen in the books to), Voldemort will die eventually but it might not even be at the end of the year (I have yet to decide if I will go on to his seventh year), and no, the Dursley's haven't been taken care of..........yet.... Thanks!

Okay, sorry for the small delay, I've been having a bit of writer's block (for the first time with this story).   
  
Here's the chapter!  
  
Chapter twenty one- The Heir of Slytherin  
  
Draco walked briskly into the Great Hall the next moring, his pale face paler then usual as he passed by his table without a second glance and walked over to the Gryffindor table with a look of determination.   
  
He hadn't sat at the Gryffindor table since Damien had made him.  
  
The blonde easily spotted the two redheads and the bushy, brown hair immediatley and hurried over to the three, sitting down beside Ginny without a moments hesitation.  
  
"Have you seen Damien this morning?" Ginny asked quickly, just as he opened his mouth to ask the same thing.  
  
"No...I was hoping you could tell me..." he muttered, taking a moment to glare at the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws who were staring at him. "He might be in the Hospital Wing...." Draco said quietly.  
  
"But....you didn't have to go to the Hospital Wing when you got back from the DE meeting..." Ginny whispered though it was obvious that she was merely trying to convince herself.   
  
Draco sneered, though it wasn't directed at any of the three before him, "I was lucky....my father told me that that was the first Death Eater meeting that Vol...I mean....the Dark Lord didn't cast a Cruciatus on more then one person...."   
  
"He must be getting desperate for followers..." Hermione said quietly, aware of some of the Gryffindors that were still staring at Draco. "He probably didn't want to risk loosing any..."  
  
"Then why would he hurt Damien!" Ginny exclaimed shrilly and the others shushed her as quite a few students stared.  
  
"I don't know...." Draco said quietly, glancing briefly at Pansy Parkinson, who had just entered the Great Hall. "I'll be right back..." The Malfoy stood up and hurried over to the girl.  
  
"Hey, Pansy!" he shouted to her and she turned.   
  
"Was Damien in the Hospital Wing?" he asked her quietly, students were still staring. She nodded slowly, "He looked and his arm bleeding....I dont get it, you weren't injured so why was he?"   
  
Draco shivered but said nothing as he headed back to the Gryffindor table.   
  
"Hey, wait! Where are you going?" Pansy called after him. He shrugged and gestured to the Gryffindor table before continuing.  
  
"He is in the Hospital Wing..." Draco told Ron, Hermione, and Ginny quietly as he sat back down.  
  
"Alright, you are going to tell me what is going on Draco Malfoy or I WILL hex you!" Pansy snapped as she marched over to him. Ron sniggered and Hermione and Ginny exchanged amused glances.  
  
Draco glared at them.  
  
"Why are you over here with the Gryffindors?" Pansy asked as she eyed the three. "And why are you all suddenly best friends!"   
  
"For one thing, Parkinson.." Draco started, "...we are NOT best friends, we aren't even friends! The only reason why I even put up with them is because of Damien!" He paused for a moment to eye Ginny and added, "Except her, she's not as annoying as the other two..."   
  
Ginny smiled and Ron and Hermione glared at Draco as he smirked cheekily at them.   
  
"What is going on?" Pansy asked, hands on her hips as she noticed the almost playful exchange. The bell rang to signal the first class, Draco glanced briefly at the three Gryffindors before he stood up and grabbed Pansy's arm, "I'll tell you in class...." he said quietly and the five headed down to Charms, which they all, except Ginny, had together.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"So.....you and Damien are going to spy?" Pansy whispered to Draco as they passed in their homework. He nodded.  
  
Ron and Hermione exchanged nervous glances from their seats in front of the two. "Are you sure she won't tell anyone?" Hermione whispered to Draco as she glanced at Pansy uneasily.  
  
The blonde nodded, "No matter what you bloody Gryffindor's might think, not all Slytherins support the Dark Lord...."  
  
"Well you sure as hell act like it..." Ron muttered and Pansy rolled her eyes, "If we don't act like Death Eater's children then we'll be hated by all the houses, including ours...."  
  
"No you wouldn't!" Ron protested, "If you would just act human every once and a while...."  
  
"Oh, Ron!" Hermione huffed, "You should really be talking when you are the most prejudice person on earth when it comes to Slytherins.......no offense..." she added to Draco and Pansy.  
  
"None taken..." they murmured in unison, eyeing the homework that Professor Flitwick had just passed back.   
  
"Well if you ask me, I think Gryffindors just follow their older classmates instead of really getting to know us......" Pansy said quietly as she tucked her report on the bubble-head charm away (she had gotten an 'O'), "I mean, foolishness is one of their traits...no offense....." she added to Ron and Hermione.  
  
"None taken..." the two lions murmured in unison, both engrossed in their own recently passed back homework.   
  
"An 'E'!!" Ron exclaimed, but in a quiet voice. "Hey! I got an 'E'!!"   
  
"You see what happens when you actually use the books in the library?" Hermione smiled as she put her homework in her bag (she had also gotten an 'O').   
  
"Why didn't you tell me that it was as easy as that, instead of watching Harry and I beg all through our years here for you to check over our papers!" Ron said heatidly and Hermione gave a frustrated shriek.  
  
"I swear, you can be so shallow minded, Ronald Weasley!" she snapped, throwing her hands up in exasperation.  
  
"But that's why you love me, right?" Ron smiled charmingly and Hermione glowered before giving in and kissing him on the cheek, "Yes....as strange and abnormal as it is..."  
  
Pansy and Draco watched the scene with amusement, the later rolling his eyes in disgust and Pansy looking at them with sparkling eyes, "How romantic..." she exclaimed overdramatically.   
  
She turned to him, "Don't you think, Drake?" she asked, smiling at him.   
  
Draco gulped audibly and turned back to his notes, trying to ignore Ron's sniggering.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Damien groaned as he opened his eyes. He glanced around the sterile, white room with disgust.   
  
Great.......he was in the Hospital Wing.......again... 'This is really getting old...' he thought to himself as he willed his sore body to sit up. He spotted his father in a chair beside his bed, sleeping. For some reason he felt a warmth in the pit of his stomach as he stared at the sleeping man.  
  
"Good to see you up, Damien!" came the headmaster's cheery voice as he strolled into the Hospital Wing. "You gave your father quite a scare...." the old man smiled at Severus' sleeping form.  
  
"Good morning, professor...." Damien said quietly as to not wake his father.   
  
"And good morning to you to, Damien!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Christmas is in a couple of weeks! You will be staying with your father won't you? No doubt Severus needs someone in his life, especially to share Christmas with...."  
  
Damien smiled, he had almost completely forgotten about Christmas and the fact that he would be with his family for the first time.   
  
At that precise moment Severus stirred slightly as he awoke. He stretched and glanced around, his gaze landing on Dumbledore, "Can't a man get a little sleep!" he snapped to the old man. "Or do I need to do something else for you before the holidays!"  
  
Dumbledore chuckled, "Good morning to you too, Severus...."  
  
Severus turned to Damien, his glare softening, "How are you feeling?" he asked almost cautiously.   
  
"I've been better.....just a little sore..." Damien mumbled, rubbing his left forearm.   
  
"Let me see..." Dumbledore said gently and Damien grimaced before slowly extending his arm. Dumbledore took the arm and gently pulled up the sleeve to reveal an ugle black mark, that was clearly the Dark Mark.   
  
Dumbledore frowned as he stared at the skull with the snake coming out of it's mouth. Beside him, Severus grimaced and put a hand on his son's shoulder. The headmaster continued to frown as he eyed the ugly mark closely before drawing back with an odd expression on his face.  
  
"What is it?" Severus asked, noting the troubled expression on the man's face. "What's wrong?"   
  
"This one's different...." he said quietly and Severus stared at him, "What do you mean?"   
  
"The mark....it's different....look..."   
  
Severus peered at the mark, grimacing at the raw flesh that surronded it. At first, it looked normal, just like his but he looked more closer and studied the snake, he noticed that unlike his, it's mouth was opened.   
  
He pulled up his own sleeve and glanced from his own Dark Mark to Damien's. The two snakes were different. He glanced from the one on his arm, which had it's mouth closed, to the one on Damien's arm, which had it's mouth opened, it's fangs bared menacingly.   
  
"I don't understand...." he said almost fearfully, "Why would he single Damien out like this? Why is his Dark Mark different from everyone else's?"   
  
He looked to Dumbledore for answers but the older man looked almost helpless, which really wasn't a good look on Albus Dumbledore's face.  
  
"Was Draco's Dark Mark like mine?" Damien asked, praying that he hadn't been the only one to receive this kind of mark.   
  
Dumbledore shook his head, "No.....I saw his after he got back from being marked, his is exactly like Severus's and Lucius's." He looked very troubled, "You said Tom was very interested in Damien?" he asked Severus quietly.  
  
The Potion's Master nodded, looking rather forlorn.   
  
Dumbledore sighed, "The only thing we can do is wait and see what this particular mark is meant for...."  
  
"But what if Voldemort has some kind of controll over me?!" Damien exclaimed and Severus flinched.   
  
"We will just have to wait and see, my child...."   
  
Damien nodded but couldn't help but feel rather worried.......I mean, who wouldn't be?  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&   
  
The answer came a week and a half later, during Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Damien had been paired up with Draco and Pansy (there was an odd number in their class) when reviewing the 'ridikulus' spell. He had been taking his turn on their boggart when a burning pain shot up his left arm, it felt as if he were being marked again except worse, so much worse.  
  
He had dropped his wand to grasp his left arm, eyes clenched tightly shut as he hissed in pain. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Draco do the same.  
  
Luckily everyone was having to much fun with their boggarts to pay any attention. So after hurridly asking Remus if they could be dismissed (he knew of Damien and Draco's marking) they made their way to the Snake Pit to put on their Death Eater robes before meeting with Severus in the Entrance Hall.  
  
Severus slipped on his white mask and waited until Draco and Damien had done the same before they set out across the grounds. Severus handed Damien his potion.  
  
"Isn't it a bit odd for Vold....I mean the Dark Lord to have a Death Eater meeting during the day?" Draco asked as he watched Damien down the potion with a look of curiousity written on his face.  
  
Severus nodded, "Yes.......he rarely calls us during the day. He usually stops calling us from the middle of December to the beganing of January.....he must need to tell us something important, it is already the ninteenth which is rather late for him to be calling us...."   
  
"What is that potion you are taking?" Draco asked, eyeing the vial it had been in.  
  
Damien glanced at Severus.  
  
"It is a medication, Mr. Malfoy, not that it is any of your business..." his father said curtly.  
  
Draco still looked rather curious but said nothing as Severus took out the quill-portkey.  
  
"What if someone saw us?" Damien asked as he glanced at the castle. Severus shook his head, "Everyone is in classes, quit worrying."  
  
Draco smirked, "Yeah really, loosen up!"  
  
Damien snorted, "As if I'm supposed to 'loosen up' when we are about to go to a monster who is going to crucify us just because we forgot to say 'my lord'.....not to mention the small fact that we're really on his enemies' side and we are spying on him!"  
  
"Hey, you're the one who chose to do this so stop complaining!" Draco said with a shrug as he grabbed the portkey.  
  
"I'm not complaining, I am just telling you why I shouldn't 'loosen up' when we're going to-"  
  
"Do all teenagers talk this much when they think a teacher isn't around? Or are you two just special?" Severus said in a slight annoyed voice though it was obvious that he really wasn't mad.  
  
"We are just special," Damien said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world before Draco could open his mouth to say the same. He grabbed the middle part of the quill and felt the familiar tug behind his naval before the three dissapeared.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Hurry we'll be late!" Severus hissed to the two boys who were still trying to shake off the wooziness from the portkey.   
  
The three cloaked and masked figures quickly made their way into the Riddle House. Damien occluded his mind as they stepped up to the Dark Lord and bowed, kissing the hem of his robes, before taking their place in the circle around the Dark Lord.   
  
Damien fought down the sudden urge to vomit as the monster turned around and looked at them all, a smirk playing on his lips as he eyed Damien. Said boy shifted slightly, keeping his eyes downcast as Voldemort walked up to him.  
  
"Damien Snape..." his voice was raspy, the hisses that Damien had heard before were absent.  
  
That fact brought some comfort to the boy for some reason.  
  
He dropped to one knee, murmuring in an emotionless voice, "My Lord..."  
  
"You need not bow to me Damien..." Voldemort said quietly and the Death Eaters' shifted slightly in surprise. "You are above them," he nodded to the other Death Eaters', who were all staring.  
  
Damien swallowed and slowly stood back up, his eyes still downcast, "And.....why, may I ask, might that be, my Lord?" he asked quietly, hoping that he didn't sound rude.  
  
Voldemort didn't answer as he walked back up to the head of the circle, smirking at them all.  
  
"Lucius..."   
  
Lucius Malfoy walked up to the Dark Lord and bowed, "How may I serve you, my Lord?" he asked humbly.   
  
Voldemort idly twirled his wand and Damien suddenly knew what the monster was going to do.   
  
"Crucio!"   
  
The elder Malfoy twiched on the floor but didn't cry out and Damien felt a slight respect for the man. Beside him, Draco shifted slightly and Damien threw him a warning glare.  
  
Voldemort lifted the curse and stared down at the blonde with a sort of satisfaction. "As you were," he snapped coldly and Malfoy immediatley took his place back in line, which was on the other side of Draco.  
  
"I have good news for us all...." the monster told them, his hands clasped behind his back as he regarded them all.  
  
Damien could have sworn that he heard a collective sigh of relief.  
  
Voldemort ignored it and said loudly,   
  
"I have found the boy who is to be worthy enough to be my heir!"  
  
Whispers and murmers of both excitment and curiousity filled the room before Bellatrix Lestrange asked, "And what has this boy done that has made him worthy enough to carry on after you, my Lord?"  
  
"Crucio!" the curse was hissed almost lazily and Voldemort watched in sick pleasure as she squirmed on the ground before lifting the curse. Bellatrix immediatley took her place back in line.  
  
"I have far outgrown my age for children of my own..." Voldemort said as he walked slowly around the circle of Death Eaters. "So, as you all know, I have chosen to train one of my most faithful Death Eater's son to be my heir. I had yet to come across anyone worthy or strong enough to survive the task...."  
  
A collective shiver ran through the group.  
  
"Until I set eyes on a particular boy.......he reminds me strongly of myself at his age and he has potential........alot of it..." the Dark Lord continued. "I have a feeling that this boy may even reach my level if given the proper training...."  
  
Damien tensed. No.....he couldn't be talking about-  
  
"Damien Snape..." Voldemort hissed. "Come up here, my child."  
  
Murmurs spread through the group as Damien willed his legs to move. His heart was hammering against his ribs. Him? Voldemort was going to train him to be his heir? The heir of Slytherin? He was going to be trained by his sworn enemy.....and the monster had said that he was strong enough to survive the training.... Wait a minute.......survive?! What did he mean by survive?  
  
Damien found himself standing in front of Lord Voldemort, on the outside he was standing there without fear, but on the inside his heart was racing as he kept on asking himself, 'Why me?' and it was all he could do to stop himself from running away in fear.  
  
"Let me see your left arm...."  
  
He slowly extended his arm. Voldemort grabbed it roughly and yanked his sleeve up to reveal the Dark Mark.   
  
"You bare my mark, as does everyone else here.......but your mark is different, have you noticed?" Voldemort said quite coldly.  
  
It took Damien a moment to realize that the quiestion was not rhetorical.  
  
"Yes, my Lord," he whispered quietly.  
  
Voldemort put a hand on his shoulder, "I present to you all my heir, Damien Snape..."  
  
Whispers broke out and Damien was strongly reminded of when he had first been sorted at Hogwarts. His father shifted slightly and glanced at Draco and the elder Malfoy.  
  
Voldemort spoke to Damien, once again ignoring the other Death Eaters, "I shall train you personally, Damien Snape until I see that you are skilled enough to carry on some minor issues.....you shall be staying with me every other week-end and during summer, you shall stay with me for a month, do I make myself clear?" he spoke quite coldly again, but his tone was more different then the one he used when he was addressing the Death Eaters.   
  
"Y-Yes my Lord..." Damien whispered in a shaking voice.  
  
Luckily the Dark Lord seemed to think that he was shaking with excitement rather then fear as he gave Damien a rather nasty smile and turned to the others.  
  
"That is all.........I do not want anyone to know about my heir, including Dumbledore, Snape!" he told the Death Eaters, speaking to Severus in particular.  
  
Each Death Eater hurried up to Voldemort to bow once more and kiss his robes before they apparated away with multitude of loud 'CRACK's.  
  
Damien made to bow to the Dark Lord but remebered that he didn't need to, so he hurried after Draco and his father, who were waiting for him.  
  
() Okay, I know it's kind of short...and I know there are alot of spelling mistakes so please forgive me.  
  
I wasn't overly pleased with this chapter so tell me what you think!  
  
Bye!


	23. Chapter twenty two A fatherson moment

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Chapter twenty two- A father-son moment!

"You-Know-Who is going to train you to be the heir of Slytherin?" Ron whispered the next morning at breakfast. 

Damien nodded, a frown evident on his face.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stared at Damien for a couple minutes before a chuckle was heard. Damien's head snapped up to see Ron giggling softly.

Damien stared at the redhead with wide eyes as the laughter got more hystericle. "Er...Ron..?" he asked almost cautiously.

Ron burst out laughing as he swayed dangerously in his seat.

"He...he wants you to become the heir of Slytherin! But you're the Boy-Who-Lived!" Ron said in an almost excited whisper.

Damien arched an eyebrow, "Um...yeeeaaah..." he said slowly.

Ron snickered, "S-Sorry...it's just..." he broke off, covering his mouth with a napkin. "...it's just...you're his enemy and he's going to train you... And in our second year everyone was so convinced that you were the heir of Slytherin!" he chortled. "Oh the irony!"

Damien, Ginny, and Hermione stared at him. Ron immediatley stopped laughing when he realized that no one else was laughing with him. He cleared his throat and his ears turned red, "I just thought it was kind of...funny..." he muttered, embarressed.

"Oh yes...real funny Ron!" Damien said coldly as he got up from the table and walked away.

"What'd I say!" he heard Ron yell after him but he ignored him as he made his way down to the dungeons.

Draco was still in the Slytherin dorms, he had asked Damien to go on without him.

It was Saturday and for that, Damien was thankful that he didn't have classes. He needed some time to think...to clear his mind...

Christmas break started on Monday and everyone, except Damien and a couple other students, were going home for the holidays due to the escalating war.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny hadn't wanted to at first but Damien had convinced them to. After all, it wasn't like he was going to be alone for the holidays was it?

Damien inwardly smiled at the thought of spending Christmas someone who actually cared for him and who was actually...related to him...

He almost immediatly sobered up though as he thought about the previous Death Eater meeting. So he was to be the heir of Slytherin...

Damien snorted aloud. Yeah right...there was absolutely no way that Severus was going to let him train with Voldemort...alone...

He nearly gagged at that thought.

For once Damien felt grateful that Severus was so overprotective of him. He didn't want to be the heir of Slytherin! He didn't want to train with Voldemort and come back every other week-end almost insane!

That thought sent shivers down his spine.

He knocked on his father's private rooms and the door opened to reveal a tired looking Severus.

Damien smirked as he walked in, "Rough night?" he asked almost cheekily. 

Severus grunted in responce as he sat down on the couch, drinking on a yellowish potion. Damien recognized it immediatly.

"Hangover Potion, Dad?"

"Oh hush..." his father muttered hoarsly. Damien shifted uncomfortabley before saying in a quiet voice, "So...what are we going to do?"

Severus knew instantly what he was talking about. The man frowned in thought as he spoke very seriously, "I spoke to Dumbledore about it..."

Damien arched and eyebrow, "And?"

"We are both going to stop spying..."

"What!"

"Damien, we need to! There is no way, NO WAY that you are being trained by him!"

"I know, I know...it's not like I want to or anything!" Damien said almost heatidly.

Severus relaxed slightly.

"What?" Damien snapped as he noticed his father's relief. "Do you think I want to be trained by that monster!"

"No Damien, it's just..."

"Just what! Tell me! Ever since you found out I tried to do the Cruciatus on Lestrange, you've been acting different around me! Do you honestly think I am going to join the dark side!" Damien snapped, all the fear and worry he had felt from the previous night seemed to be building up inside of him.

"Damien!"

"Just leave me alone, okay?" Damien growled as he turned away. 

"Damien you know I'd NEVER think something like that!" his father said quietly.

Damien turned around, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Then why have you been acting as if I'm a ticking bomb?" he snapped in an accusing voice.

Severus sighed, "I never meant to act like that...especially to you...I'm just worried is all..."

"Why?" 

"Why!" Severus repeated incrediously. "Why do you think, Damien? My son has just been marked to save my life! Not only that but he is to be trained to be the heir of Slytherin by a man...no a monster that has wanted to kill him since before he was born!"

Damien stared at the man in surprise.

"I just found you, Harry..." Severus said quietly, using Damien's old name. "I don't want to loose you...and if I ever did..." a pause, "...I'd probably kill myself..."

Damien shook his head slowly, "Don't say that! You know as well as I do that in the end I have to face Voldemort...and there's no gaurantee that I'll survive..."

Severus stared at him for a long time before he sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Then why are you so upset about not spying anymore?"

"It's just..." Damien began. "I got marked for nothing! And what about Draco? He's going to be all alone!"

"I know, Damien..." his father responded tiredly. "You underestimate the Dark Lord...you don't know what it will be like if he trains you... He is insane! He thinks it helps if you are put under the cruciatus until you are begging for him to kill you! He thinks it makes you stronger! He feeds you a multitude of potions to build your pain tolerance and it feels worse then the cruciatus, it feels as if your insides are being ripped out through your stomach. And that's just the beganning..."

"And how would you know all this?" Damien snapped almost suspiciously.

"Because, Damien, I was trained by him personally for three days when I was eighteen..." his father said with surprising coolness. "And I'm still surprised that I'm sane enough to tell the tale!"

Damien blinked, "You never told me that!"

"It's not something I'd wish to be public knowledge..." his father replied in the same tone of voice.

"So...if...uh...when he finds out that we are not going to spy anymore...he's going to want to kill us...right?" Damien asked cautiously. "I mean...at the end of my fourth year...after Cedric...after the third task when he was talking to the Death Eaters he was talking about Karkaroff and how he was going to kill him when they found him..."

Severus nodded slowly as he noticed his son's discomfort before saying quietly.

"Yes...but anything, even death, is better then being trained personally by him..."

Damien shivered.

They sat in silence for a couple minutes before Damien spoke up, "I don't want you to die..."

Severus looked slightly startled by the soft-spoken statement. "And I don't want you to die...but I do want you to stay how you are now and you will not stay the same if we continue spying..."

Damien looked at him, confused.

His father stood up and put a hand on his shoulder, "I want you to still be a child when this war is over...I don't want you to see war...I don't want you to feel the pain of lose, even though you already have...I don't want you to see what I've seen..."

Damien blinked.

"That is why we must stop spying...I want you to keep your innocence and not have to be forced to cast the Unforgivables on the people that you love..." Severus squatted down next to him.

"I don't want you to be out in a battlefield where you see your friends and family die before your eyes and where your own life is threatened...I'd give anything, anything for that to not happen, even my life and my sanity..." his father said softly to him.

Damien was surprised at the emotion that was in the man's voice. Sadness, concern, pain, and...love? Did Severus really love him? He knew that his father cared very deeply for him but...love?

Damien swallowed and turned away from the emotion in the onyx eyes, feeling his throat contstrict at the thought of someone actually loving him...

"That is why we are not spying anymore...you would be a completely different person if you were to be trained by the Dark Lord...I shouldn't have even let you get marked in the first place..." Severus told him as he sat down beside him. "But you will have to remember, the Dark Lord will try to get the other Death Eater's children to bring you to him. You need to be more careful, he hates traitors more then muggle-borns and will stop at nothing to punish them..." he said quietly.

Damien shivered again.

"Not to mention the fact that he wanted you to be his heir, it will just make you and I at the top of his hit list..." the man sounded tired again.

They fell into silence once again.

"You know..." his father began, causing Damien to look back at him.

"What?" Damien asked softly.

Severus looked slightly embarressed at what he was about to say.

"You know.." Severus continued, "After seeing your memories and seeing what you had gone through, I had felt so mad..." the man trailed off looking lost in thought. "But when I saw that one memory of your uncle hitting you with the belt...I...I don't know what I "

Damien wrapped his arms around himself as he remembered that particular memory.

"And you were crying...and I wasn't quite sure what to do at first...I have never really been one to give comfort...but when you hugged me..." he trailed off once again, his eyes focussing on Damien. "I felt as if a part of me had vanished forever...and it was replaced with...something else...but it was a good feeling...I liked it..." He continued to look at Damien.

"And at that moment..." his father's eyes became glazed again as he remembered the emotion he had felt that day. "...when I held you in my arms, I made a promise..."

Damien continued to look at his father as the man struggled with the right words.

"I promised...that I would never let anything bad happen to you...that you would never have to feel the pain that I have felt and that you would never have to see the things that I have seen...that nothing could ever take you away from me..." Severus paused once again. "But I knew I could never fulfill that promise...I could never protect you from pain and death..." he winced. "When people that you'd love would die...or betray you... Things that you'd once know would suddenly change and be completely different... Your friends would move on and grow up...all of your childhood days would be gone...replaced with responcibilities that no one is ready to face..."

"And sometimes I'd think...if I could just protect you from at least one of those things...if I could just...jump in the way and absorb all the pain and suffering for you..." he trailed off.

Damien stared at his father, he had never EVER heard the man express his emotions like this before. The man, though alot more open with Damien, had always seemed so...indifferent but now he was sitting here telling Damien his fears and dreams...something that Damien never would have thought the man would share with him.

Damien thought to himself. What was so strange about his father sitting here talking to him about his feelings was that all of Severus's feelings seemed to have to do with him. His father's fear was for him to loose his innocence and become cold and unfeeling. His father's wish was to protect him from everything...

It just felt so weird to be cared about so much...it was like Severus's happiness depended only on Damien's happiness and health.

"Promise me something, Damien..." his father said.

"What?"

"Promise me that you won't try to be a hero this year..." Severus said quietly.

Damien stared into his father's eyes, noticing the anxiety and concern in them before nodding slowly.

"I promise..."

Severus smiled and ruffled his son's hair playfully before pulling him into a hug. Damien froze for a moment, feeling slightly surprised before readily returning it.

"I'm sorry..." he mumbled, his voice muffled slightly from the fabric of his father's robe.

"For what?" Severus asked as he looked down at the dark head nestled against him.

Damien sighed, "For getting marked when you didn't want me to...for not listening to you...you've had more expeirence then I have...I've just been a stupid teen..."

To his surprise, Severus chuckled slightly,

"That's why you were sorted into Gryffindor first..."

() Okay I really hope I didn't screw this chapter up. A Sev/Harry fatherson moment, you gotta love 'em!

ALSO if anyone is interested in beta reading for me then be my guest (I suck at grammer). Like I said, since I am having a bit of writer's block I feel as if I'm forcing myself to write these last two chapters and it would be so much more easier if I were to have someone's opinion before I post it.

So tell me what you think, hope Sev wasn't tooo awfully OOC.

Review please!

Bye!


	24. Chapter twenty three Silent Night

Hello once again to everyone! Thanks to all my reviewers and to everyone who volunteered to beta for me!  
  
I have finally got a beta reader people!!! Which is going to be pretty obvious since the grammer is much better in this chapter!  
  
So thanks so much to my wonderful beta reader, BadBugz!! I have no idea where this chapter would be without you.  
  
Okay, enough of my blabbering..... On with the chapter!!  
  
Chapter twenty three- Silent Night  
  
"Ginny?" Damien said softly to the girl he held.  
  
They were sitting on the Astronomy Tower, looking out into the darkening   
sky. Tomorrrow morning Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Draco were going home   
for Christmas break and Damien wanted to spend as much time as possible with   
Ginny before the holidays.  
  
Even though Damien loved each and every one of his friends dearly and would die for any one of them at anytime if he had to, sometimes it was nice to have a quiet moment with Ginny instead of being with his noisy and wild friends.  
  
Being with Ginny was always so peaceful and Damien felt that he could   
  
always   
  
look to her for comfort and support. They really didn't get much alone   
time anymore due to the fact that Ron and Hermione knew Damien's true identity   
and Draco had stopped being a git to everyone.  
  
Hermione and Ron were alone together in the Room of Requirment and Draco   
was.......well....Draco had started spending more time with Pansy.  
  
When Damien had been younger, he had always known that this day would come....when all of his friends would get involved with someone and they wouldn't have as much time to spend together. At that time, Damien had never dreamed of drifting away from his friends because of a girl. But now that that day had come.....he didn't really mind that much.  
  
"Mmmmm?" Ginny responded dreamily and contentedly.  
  
Damien didn't respond at first as he looked at the sky with an awed wonder.   
  
As he watched, he could see the darkness descending upon the grounds of Hogwarts like a heavy blanket. Gradually, it had become darker and darker until the only light they had was the full moon. The stars peeked out from behind the clouds as they drifted lazily above them, glowing slightly.  
  
Damien had never thought that things could seem so serene so....peaceful.   
After the war had started, everything seemed so hectic. Now everything seemed to be perfect, everything was complete bliss. There wasn't a sound; everything was silent. Not a cricket chirped, not a wolf howled only the sound of the wind rustling the leaves softly was heard.  
  
The world seemed to be in perfect harmony. All the troubles seem to have dissapeared for the moment and all at once, Damien and Ginny seemed to forget about the constant worry of the war, of Voldemort and any other thing that would trouble them.  
  
Damien sat there thinking about Sirius, thinking about the Christmas of last   
year, of how Sirius had been so excited. Even though that Christmas had only   
been a year ago, it seemed as if it had been in a completely different lifetime, as if a hundred years had passed instead of just one.  
  
So many things had changed since then. They had all grown up and now   
seemed so much more wiser then their years. They were no longer the sweet, carefree children that they had been the previous Christmas at the Grimmauld Place. No, they were now young adults, about to start out into a world filled with pain and suffering and they all knew it. They all knew that in just a couple short years that they would have to fight in the war, that they would   
take their place beside their parents on the battlefield. And somehow, that knowledge seemed to make them stronger....more mature....  
  
His father...  
  
His father had been a surprise. Damien would never have expected that he could get along with the 'greasy git.' When he had found out, he had dreaded even trying to have a relationship with him. He had been blinded by his immaturity. In his naivity, he had never thought that people could change. He hadn't thought that his father would want to change for him, a legacy from the Dursleys. That was another thing he had his father to thank for. He had given Damien his confidence back. Damien now knew love, and with that knowledge, he could live...  
  
"What?" Ginny asked and Damien blinked as he was startled out of his musings.  
  
"Do you ever remember what it was like before the war? Before the bad times? Even though it was only a couple years ago...?" he asked her as he stared up at the full moon.  
  
She was silent for a moment as she also stared up into the sky.  
  
Ginny shifted slightly so she could look him into the eyes. "Not really. The good times for me were before Hogwarts, before my first year..." Damien frowned and tightened his hold on her hand slightly. "I-I'm sorry....I didn't mean it like that."  
  
"It's okay... I still have good times, some even better then the one's before Hogwarts..." she smiled up at him as she entangled her fingers with his.  
  
Damien pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her, feeling warmth spread through him as he burried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. They seemed to make a warm cocoon in the midst of the biting wind.  
  
"What about you? Do you remember what it was like before the war?" Ginny asked him, idly playing with the sleeve of Damien's robes.  
  
Damien looked at the sky for a moment before responding, "Sometimes. I remember Ron and Hermione and the little adventures we'd have...." his smile faltered. "Other times I can hardly think of what it was like when I actually felt safe and it seems impossible that the world was ever so peaceful...."  
  
Ginny tightened her hold on him briefly.  
  
Damien smiled down at her, "One thing I always remember is my friends, and   
all the good times we shared together..." He sat there for a moment and remembered his first three years at Hogwarts. They had been the best times of his life.  
  
He remembered:  
  
#  
  
_"It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, and even more to stand up to your friends. Therefore I award ten points to Neville Longbottom!" Dumbledore announced at the end of the first year. The cheers from the Gryffindor table were defeaning as every Gryffindor was screaming their head off. Ron, Hermione, and Harry all stood up and started cheering for Neville as he disappeared under the number of Gryffindors hugging him. It was the best evening of Harry's life, better then winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls. He would never, ever forget that night.  
  
_#  
  
_Harry didn't know if the best part about the end of his second year was Hermione running toward him, screaming "You solved it! You solved it!" or Justin hurrying over from the Hufflepuff table to wring his hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting him, or Hagrid turning up at half past three, cuffing Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle, or his and Ron's four hundred points for Gryffindor securing the House Cup for the second year running, or Professor McGonagall standing up to tell them all that exams had been canceled as a school treat, or Dumbledore announcing that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, due to his memory loss. Quite a few teachers joined in the cheering that greeted the news....  
  
_#  
  
_Harry kept wondering where Pettigrew was now, whether he had sought sanctuary with Voldemort yet. But the thing that lowered Harry's spirits most of all was the dreaded return to the Dursleys'. For maybe half an hour, a glorious half hour, he had believed he would be living with Sirius from now on...his parents' best friend... It would have been the next best thing to having his own father back. And while no news from Sirius was definitely good news, because it meant he had successfully gone into hiding, Harry couldn't help feeling miserable when he thought of the home he might have had, and the fact that it was now impossible. The exam results came out on the last day of term. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had passed every subject. Harry was amazed that he had got through Potions, though he had a shrewd suspicion that Dumbledore might have stepped in to stop Snape failing him on purpose. Gryffindor won the House Cup for the third year running, this meant the hall was once again decorated in gold and scarlet, and Gryffindor was the noisiest of the lot, as everybody celebrated. Even Harry managed to forget about the journey back to the Dursleys the next day as he ate, drank, talked, and laughed with the rest....  
  
_#  
  
Damien smiled as he remembered the first three years at Hogwarts. He grinned at Ginny, adjusting her slightly in his lap so he could rest his chin on her shoulder.  
  
"I still have good times too, some better then others..." Damien repeated her earlier words. He sighed and looked at the moon. "It's moments like these when it seems like all the fighting we've done has been actually worth something..." he looked at her in the eyes, smiling slightly as he reached up to flick a strand of red hair out of Ginny's eyes.  
  
"I don't really know where we are going to be in one, two, or even ten years from now..." Damien said to her as he looked straight into her eyes. "But all I know is that as long as you are here with me everyday, I'm going to be okay..."  
  
Ginny glowed as she moved closer to him, her breath tickling his face. She smiled, her brown eyes sparkling in the moonlight as she leaned forward to plant a soft, long kiss on his lips.  
  
They sat there like that for a long time, neither one moving.  
  
Ginny drew back, panting slightly as Damien reached up to touch her face.  
  
The couple turned back to look at the shadows that danced across the grounds of Hogwarts.

They sat there, snuggling for hours, simply enjoying each others presence in this rare moment of peace....  
  
"Merlin!" Ginny whispered excitedly. "What?" Damien asked worriedly.  
  
Ginny's eyes glowed. "It's snowing! Look, Damien, it's snowing!!"  
  
Indeed, crystalline flakes had started to fall and were already starting to blanket the grounds of Hogwarts.  
  
"It's almost magical, isn't it?" Ginny turned to him, her chocolate eyes sparkling. Damien relaxed and smiled, hugging her close again. She froze for a moment, her brown eyes slightly widened with an awed look.  
  
Damien frowned, "Gin?"  
  
"Shhh..." she replied softly, obviously straining to hear something.   
  
"Do you hear that?"  
  
Damien quieted, listening intently. "No, I don't. What is it?"  
  
"Singing..." Ginny smiled slightly, snuggling closer to Damien. "Listen really closely."  
  
Damien held his breath for a moment as he strained to hear. Then he heard it. It was faint at first but then it got louder and clearer. He listened to the soft melody before saying, "The ghosts are singing again...."  
  
Ginny nodded, "Yes....I think they're singing 'Silent Night'..."  
  
Damien listened more and, sure enough, could make out the beautiful song. It sounded so soft.....so sad....so far away, which it probably was, they were, after all, on the Astronomy Tower.  
  
"I love this song..." Ginny whispered, sounding enchanted. Damien nodded against her shoulder in agreement as he listened to the haunting melody.  
  
The couple sat there for a long while, listening to the soft melody as they curled up together.  
  
_"Sleep in heavenly peace....."  
_  
The two listened as the song ended, it's soft melody seemed to echo across the grounds, blending in with the quietly falling snow.  
  
Everything was silent once again as the last note faded away. Ginny and Damien simply sat there again in each others arms as they enjoyed the precious time they had together.  
  
Ginny shivered in Damien's arms and the boy tightened his hold on her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms to warm her up. The snow was piling up on the ground below them, the wind was getting more fierce and the couple shivered.  
  
"It's one in the morning..." Ginny murmured, checking her watch. Damien buried his face in her hair once again. "Don't go....please," he mumbled into her hair.  
  
Ginny giggled, "Who said anything about leaving? I was merely stating the time..."  
  
He grinned at her and kissed her nose.  
  
"Well, I think it is about time the two of you returned to your dorms, unless of course you wish for Mr. Filch to escort you?" a silky voice said from the shadows.  
  
Severus stepped out into the light of the moon, his arms folded and a smirk on his face.  
  
"D-Dad?" Damien exclaimed, feeling his cheeks burn. He looked down to see that Ginny's face now matched her hair perfectly.  
  
"How long have you been there?" Damien muttered, still blushing.  
  
The man's smirk widened, "Long enough..." He turned serious. "You two really need to be getting back to your dorms before Mr. Filch finds you, he already gave a week of detention to Mr. Malfoy and Miss Parkinson for being on the stands of the Quidditch Stadium....."  
  
"Wow, wow, wow..." Damien murmured faintly, shaking his head slightly.   
  
"Draco and Pansy were in the Quidditch stands?! Doing what exactly?!"  
  
"See! I told you they had something going on!" Ginny giggled.  
  
"Oh come on Dad!" Damien pleaded. "Let us have some time alone! Ginny is leaving tomorrow and-"  
  
"And you shall see her when she returns..." Severus finished for him.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Damien..." Severus warned. Ginny laughed. "Come on, Professor! We won't get to see each other till next year!" she exclaimed as if it were the most horrible thing in the world.  
  
"Who would trust two teenagers such as yourselves alone together?"   
  
Severus sneered.  
  
"Come on, Professor, you can trust us!" Ginny said as she shivered and snuggled closer against Damien, "We've been alone for the past..." she checked her watch, "five hours and we haven't done anything!"  
  
"We're not that stupid!" Damien added and Ginny nodded.  
  
Severus rolled his eyes.  
  
"Please Dad..." Damien mock-whined. "We'll be good, we promise!" he kissed Ginny on the forehead and she giggled.  
  
Severus rolled his eyes again.  
  
"No. Now either follow me now with no points deducted, wait for Filch to take half, or try my patience and force me to take all the points." Severus told them sternly.  
  
Damien smirked at him, "You wouldn't, not from Slytherin."  
  
Severus raised an eyebrow, "Try me."  
  
Damien and Ginny exchanged annoyed glances before they hopped off the wall they had been sitting on and walked over to Severus. They walked down the many staircases before Severus turned to them and said, "I expect you two to go directly back to your common rooms. If I find that you have done otherwise...." he trailed off threateningly and walked off towards the dungeons.  
  
"How does he do that?" Ginny whispered in an awed voice as she stared in the direction Severus had left.  
  
"Do what?" Damien asked her with an arched eyebrow.  
  
"Make his robes bellow like that.....it's amazing!" her voice sounded slightly mocking now. She turned to him, frowning, "Why can't you do that?"  
  
They both chuckled and they made their way to the Entrance Hall where they stopped.  
  
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow..." Damien said to her and she smiled.  
  
"You better see me off or you won't get your Christmas present!" she threatened and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him once more before turning around and heading up to the Gryffindor Tower.  
  
Damien stared after her for a moment before smiling widely and walking down to the Snake Pit with a smile on his face.  
  
Unknown to either teenager, Severus watched from the shadows as the two bid farewell to each other, a pleased smirk evident on his face.  
  
() Okay, tell me how you liked the chapter. Was it good? Was it bad? Review and tell me!  
  
ALSO I am going on a trip to Virginia tomorrow and won't be back till Monday or Sunday so I might not be able to update any of my stories for maybe a week! Also, school is starting back up and........that STINKS!!!!  
  
So, review!  
  
Bye!


	25. Chapter twenty four Home is Where the He...

Hey again! I am terribly sorry for the long delay but I came across a bit of writer's block. It is kind of hard to write a Christmas chapter in the middle of August as one of my reviewers also put it.

Don't worry, my updates will NOT be this far apart. The other chapter is probably a quarter of the way done.

So once again thanks to all my reviewers and sorry for the wait!

Thanks once again to my beta-reader, Badbugz!

Chapter twenty four- Home is where the Heart is.

"Are you positive that you want us to go, Damien?" Hermione asked for  
the  
third time as she hugged him.  
  
Damien sighed, feeling slightly touched by his friend's thoughtfulness.  
"Yes, I'm positive! Now go home to see your family, Hermione," he told  
her  
and she grinned. "After all it's not like I'm going to be alone or  
anything,  
I actually have family now," he said as he hugged Ginny.  
  
"You've always had family, Damien," Ginny told him and kissed him  
before  
trying to load up her trunk.  
  
Damien picked it up for her and loaded it in Ron, Hermione, Ginny,  
Pansy,  
and Draco's compartment.  
  
"Bye, Damien..." Ginny whispered as she hugged him once again.  
  
Ron clapped him on the shoulder, "See ya later, mate! Have a good  
Christmas  
with Snape!" the Weasley grimaced slightly at the last comment he had  
made.  
  
Draco repeated the gesture, "Don't mind Weasley, he's an idiot," Draco  
smirked as Ron glared at him. "See you next year."  
  
Hermione gave him another hug and muttered, "Have a good Christmas with  
your  
father! Sweeten him up a little over the holidays so he won't give us  
any  
homework!" She smiled at him in a rather uncharacteristic display of  
the  
'goody goody' Hermione Granger.  
  
Ginny kissed him for the third time and hugged him again, "I'll think  
about  
you on Christmas, okay?" she told him. "And have fun! Have fun with  
your  
family!"  
Damien grinned and nodded, "I will. See you, Ginny, Ron, Hermione,  
Draco...." he nodded to each of them, hugging Ginny once more before  
the  
whistle blew up above to signal that they needed to be boarding now.  
  
"Don't forget about me!" came a voice and a moment later Pansy stumbled  
out  
of one of the train doors. She surprised Damien by throwing her arms  
around  
him and giving him a brief hug before saying, "Have a good Christmas!"  
and  
disappearing back onto the train.  
Draco shook his head as he stared in the direction she had disappeared  
in,  
"She's crazy...." he muttered, "I have no idea why I put up with  
her..."  
  
Ginny giggled, "Because you love her, right?"  
  
A faint blush appeared on the blonde's face but the boy snapped, "Oh  
mind  
your own business!"  
  
Damien smiled as they boarded the train. He waved to them until the  
train  
disappeared around a corner and sighed before walking back inside the  
castle. It was rather empty for the holidays, mainly because of the  
rising  
war and children wanted to spend as much time as possible with their  
parents. The only other students who had stayed for Christmas break  
were a  
first year Ravenclaw, a seventh year Hufflepuff, and Terry Boot.  
  
Damien made his way up to the Astronomy Tower, where he and Ginny had  
spent  
five hours together the last night. He sighed as he looked out onto the  
sparkling hills that surrounded Hogwarts, all of them glistening with  
snow  
in the sunlight. He watched the Hogwarts express disappear into the  
mountains before heading back down to the dungeons to see his father.  
  
The man was busy at work, as usual. He was grading what looked like the  
most  
recent potion's essay that he had assigned Damien's class. Damien  
noticed  
that he was grading Neville Longbottom's, and was surprised to see that  
not  
many red blotches were scribbled over Neville's messy writing.  
  
"Do you have to work now? It's holidays," Damien said as he walked up  
to his  
father's desk. The man scowled, without looking up. Severus finished  
grading  
Neville's paper and set it aside, reaching up to rub the spot between  
his  
eyes tiredly.  
  
"Then what, pray tell, do you propose we do?" he asked Damien with an  
arched  
eyebrow.  
  
"Well, I need to get to Hogsmeade to get my presents for everyone..."  
  
"Yes, I need to pick up a few things as well," Severus murmured  
thoughtfully.  
  
Damien grinned, "Those things wouldn't happen to be for me now would  
they?"  
he asked innocently.  
  
Severus rolled his eyes, "As if I'm going to tell you that."  
  
Damien scowled, "You're no fun..."  
  
"I take it you are not going to the Yule Ball?" Severus asked as he  
stretched. Damien nodded and mumbled, "Well, Ginny, Ron, Hermione,  
Draco,  
and Pansy have all gone home for the holidays. There really is no  
point."  
  
Damien grinned mischievously, "Maybe YOU could find a nice lady-friend,  
Dad?"  
  
Severus snorted, "No, I doubt it."  
  
"Why? Because you're too evil?"  
  
"No, because no woman would be willing to put up with a brat like you."  
"Well, people do always tell me that I take after my father..."  
  
"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade or not?"  
  
"Okay, okay, let's go..."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Half an hour later, Damien and Severus were heading down to Hogsmeade.  
Surprisingly, the small village wasn't that crowded, compared to  
Hogsmeade  
weekends, that is. Everyone already seemed to be settling down for the  
holidays and the few that were out doing some last minute shopping  
didn't  
look in any hurry to leave.  
  
"I will meet you at five for dinner at the Three Broomsticks," Severus  
told  
him as they approached Zonko's. Damien nodded briefly before heading  
into  
the joke shop.  
Severus groaned as he watched Damien walk in Zonko's. "I was hoping for  
a  
quiet school year without those damn Weasley-twins," Severus mumbled to  
himself before sweeping down the street at a fast pace.  
  
Damien glanced around at all the items on the shelves. He sighed before  
running over the list of people he needed to buy for this year.  
Hermione,  
Ron, Ginny, Draco, his father, and....should he get Pansy a gift as  
well?  
Damien shrugged nonchalantly before pulling out the money he had gotten  
owl-delivered from his vault. He thought about getting Ron some  
dungbombs or  
stink pellets, but remembered that Severus was going to be one of the  
people  
Ron would use them on. Damien chuckled slightly before loading up on  
each  
item.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
At exactly five o'clock, Damien hurried into the Three Broomsticks,  
teetering slightly off balance due to the heavy load he had been  
hauling  
around for the past couple hours.  
He spotted his father seated at a booth toward the back of the pub,  
reading  
the latest issue of 'Brewers,' and sipping on a butterbeer. Damien  
dropped  
into the seat across from Severus. "Finished my shopping!" he said  
cheerfully to his father.  
  
The man looked up from the magazine, his lips twitching slightly. "Let  
me  
see them, please," he said.  
  
Damien blinked, "Why?"  
  
"I just want to make sure they're safe…"  
  
"No, you just want to see your present!"  
  
"You got me a present? Let me see it!"  
  
Damien grabbed his bags from reaching distance of his father. "You have  
to  
wait just like everyone else."  
  
Severus arched an eyebrow, "And here I thought I was supposed to be the  
adult…"  
  
"You're acting too childish!"  
  
"It's the holidays, what do you expect?"  
"You've never acted like this during the holidays before…."  
  
Severus smiled, "Before, I had no one to celebrate it with that I cared  
about."  
  
Damien felt warmth in the pit of his stomach at his father's words. It  
must  
have reflected on his face because his father's smile grew.  
  
They ate in comfortable silence, both thinking about what the holidays  
would  
be like with someone they actually cared about.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Christmas Eve was a bright and sunny day. A fresh blanket of snow had  
settled on Hogwarts overnight. Even though it was sunny, it was still  
only a  
couple degrees above zero. The whole day was a silent affair. The Yule  
Ball  
was meant to take place on Christmas, but, because of the lack of  
students,  
it was going to take place the weekend after the students returned from  
Christmas break.  
  
Damien spent most of the day wrapping presents in the Slytherin Dorms  
(which  
he had to himself).  
  
For Ginny he had gotten a gold locket. On it, it said, 'Till death do  
you  
part,' written in tiny emeralds. In the left part of the inside of the  
locket, was a picture of the two of them sitting on the Astronomy  
Tower, her  
sitting in his lap. In the right part was a clock similar to Mrs.  
Weasley's.  
On each of the four sides were, 'It's all good', 'Be aware', 'Watch  
your  
back', and 'You're in trouble.' It had only one hand, which was of  
course  
meant for Ginny. It was currently pointed on, 'It's all good.'  
  
For Hermione he had gotten her 'Hogwarts, a History,' though, unlike  
the one  
she owned now, it magically updated anything new about the school. The  
Room  
of Requirement was even explained in this copy.  
  
For Ron he had gotten at least a hundred dungbombs and stink pellets,  
with a  
note that said, 'Give Gred and Forge hell for me.'  
  
For Draco he had gotten a necklace that had a dragon's tooth on it.  
Though  
it looked like a normal necklace, it really had a charm on it, which  
made  
half of the pain from a harmful spell (like the Cruciatus) affect  
Damien  
instead of Draco. Damien had the other necklace, though it was only a  
one-way thing, in other words, Draco wouldn't feel any pain if Damien  
got  
hit by a harmful spell. Damien wasn't going to tell Draco about the  
charm on  
the necklace, because he knew that the blonde wouldn't allow it. He had  
put  
a note with it that said, 'Keep it on you always; it's supposed to  
bring  
good luck.' People would think that Damien was stupid for getting a  
thing  
that was supposed to cause him pain but it was really only meant for  
Death  
Eater meetings, which Draco now had to attend by himself. Draco may not  
be  
Ron or Hermione, but he was still his friend and Damien didn't want him  
to  
feel the full extent of the Cruciatus. He would do just about anything  
to  
protect his friends.  
  
He hadn't really known what to get Pansy; he didn't know her that well  
but  
she did seem to like jewelry. He had gotten her a simple  
charm-bracelet,  
which had tiny, silver snitches, stars, crescent moons, and sand  
dollars on  
the band of it.  
  
Now his father had been the hardest to shop for. Yes, he knew the man  
better  
then before but he hadn't known what to get him at first. His first  
impulse  
had been to get him something to do with Potions but he had wanted it  
to be  
special, something that Severus would really like.  
  
He had gotten Severus two different things. The first one was similar  
to the  
clock in Ginny's locket. It had two hands on it, for both Damien and  
Severus. On it, it said, 'At school', 'At home' 'With friends', 'Mortal  
Peril', 'Ministry of Magic', and 'Dead'. Severus's hand was pointed at,  
'At  
home,' and Damien's was pointed at, 'At School,' due to the fact that  
he was  
in his dorm.  
  
The second present was a picture of the two of them at the Snape Manor.  
It  
had been after the charms had been taken off Damien, about a couple  
days  
before school had started. They were sitting across from each other in  
the  
living room, both engrossed in a game of Muggle Chess. Every once and a  
while, one of them would move a piece before concentrating again, or  
look up  
to glance at one another whether it be a scowl or a grin.  
Dumbledore had taken that picture and neither Damien nor Severus had  
known  
about it. Damien had asked Dumbledore about any pictures of a younger  
Severus that he might have and the headmaster had given him this  
picture  
instead. Damien had been glad; he liked the picture. It had been one of  
the  
first times they had actually started to respect one another.  
  
Damien headed up to the Owlrey to deliver the gifts.  
  
It was after dinnertime when Damien made his way back to his father's  
quarters. He walked in and immediately thought that he had came to the  
wrong  
room. Garland and lights were draped across the mantle of the  
fireplace.  
Holly was placed here and there; the paintings that had hung on the  
wall  
were now wrapped up in Christmas wrapping paper, complete with a large,  
red  
ribbon, making them look like presents. Off to the left side of the  
room was  
a large Christmas tree, which already had its lights wrapped around it.  
Severus was in front of the tree, carefully unwrapping ornaments.  
Damien  
beamed at the man before clearing his throat slightly. He took slight  
pleasure in seeing his father jump in surprise before turning to look  
at  
him.  
  
"You weren't supposed to be back until later!" Severus scolded  
good-naturedly. Damien shrugged, "I finished wrapping my gifts early,"  
he  
paused, his brow furrowed, "What's all this?"  
  
"Christmas decorations," Severus said with an arched eyebrow. "I know  
you  
lived with muggles but you have to know what Christmas decorations  
are!"  
  
"I do know what they are," Damien said as he eyed the old, looking  
ornaments  
Severus was unpacking. "I just never thought of you as a decorating  
person…."  
  
Severus snorted, "Neither did I, thought you might enjoy them though."  
  
Damien smiled at his father's thoughtfulness, "I love it," he breathed  
as he  
gazed longingly up at the tree. "I've never decorated a Christmas tree  
before…."  
  
Severus grimaced before smiling warmly at his son, "Well, this can be  
your  
first time."  
  
Damien blinked as Severus stood up and made his way over to him,  
holding out  
an ornament. "You want to help me?"  
  
Damien felt a lump rising up in his throat as he looked into his  
father's  
dark eyes. Decorating a tree with his father……he never would have  
thought  
that it would be possible. He had always seen the Dursley's decorate  
their  
tree at Christmas. He remembered peeking in on them from the stairway,  
feeling an ache in his heart as he watched Aunt Petunia hand Dudley the  
star  
to put on the top. He had always wanted that, even if it had been  
something  
as simple as decorating a Christmas tree with his parents, it was those  
moments that he had always longed for, those family moments when you  
could  
practically see the love radiating off of the family members.  
  
Damien returned to the presence before slowly taking the ornament out  
of his  
father's hand. He handled the figurine of an angel as if it were glass  
and  
slide it onto a branch of the tree.  
  
Severus smiled as he watched Damien's face light up with happiness,  
making  
his emerald eyes twinkle. Together they both continued to decorate the  
tree,  
until it gradually became crowded with the many ornaments that hung  
from its  
limbs.  
  
Damien stood on his tiptoes to put the gold and silver star on top of  
the  
tree before standing back to admire their work.  
  
The tree's main colors were gold, white, and silver. The lights were  
white,  
the ornaments were either gold or silver and the tinsel was gold.  
Damien  
personally thought that the tree was one of the most beautiful  
Christmas  
tree's he had seen, including all the ones the Dursley's had decorated  
and  
Damien went to bed that night with a smile on his face.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Damien stirred as he slowly awakened. He sat up, blinking the sleep  
from his  
eyes and looking around to see sunlight pouring through the window.  
Damien  
had slept on the couch in the living room and could see the pile of  
presents  
under the tree.  
  
He felt joy well up inside of him like never before, threatening to  
burst  
out of him. He settled on letting out a quiet whoop as he stood up and,  
not  
bothering to change out of his nightclothes, dashed into his father's  
room.  
  
Severus was asleep still, snoring loudly as he held onto a pillow.  
Damien  
chuckled slightly at the sight before jumping onto the bed. Severus  
shot up  
immediately, his wide eyes darting around frantically as if expecting  
to be  
ambushed.  
  
Damien burst out laughing; things seemed ten times funnier this  
morning.  
Severus immediately smiled, feeling a sense of pride well up in him as  
he  
watched Damien laugh. To him, it sounded like the most wonderful thing  
in  
the world.  
  
"Merry Christmas!" Damien announced cheerfully as his father slid out  
of  
bed.  
  
"Merry Christmas," Severus returned, equally happy as his son but not  
near  
enough awake to respond with as much enthusiasm.  
  
"So, what did Santa bring you?" Severus asked teasingly. Damien rolled  
his  
eyes and arched an eyebrow as if to say, 'Are you serious?' "Okay, so  
maybe  
you're a little to old for that…" Severus grinned at Damien's annoyed  
look.  
  
They both headed into the living room and sat on the couch as Severus  
summoned up some tea for the two of them. Damien sat there, staring at  
the  
tree and presents as if mesmerized, sipping on his tea. Severus looked  
at  
him for a moment before clearing his throat and saying, "Well, what are  
you  
waiting for? Open them!"  
  
Damien smiled appreciatively at him before slowly dropping to his knees  
beside the tree. "Come on! I'm not opening these alone," Damien told  
the  
man. Severus sighed before giving in and sitting on the floor beside  
his  
son.  
  
Damien opened his first present, which was from Ginny, it turned out to  
be a  
watch, which had not only the time but also had a built in map of  
Hogwarts.  
According to the note Ginny had sent with it, you were to press the  
blue  
button on the side of the watch and a map would appear along with  
everyone  
in Hogwarts, like a portable Maurader's Map. 'Hermione helped with the  
map,'  
the note had read, 'It was a complicated charm and I'm sure it will be  
useful.' Damien smiled and slipped it on his left wrist before  
continuing on  
with the presents.  
  
Ron had gotten him a pair of leather Quidditch gloves that were  
supposed to  
protect his hands from blistering completely. Along with that was Mrs.  
Weasley's usual package of mince pies and Fred and George's newest  
items.  
  
Hermione had gotten him a book called, 'Defense Against the Dark Arts:  
Charms and Potions,' which turned out to be a pretty useful book.  
  
Draco had gotten him the newest Quidditch book, 'Balls and Broomsticks,  
an  
Unlikely Combination?'  
  
Damien opened the book to see Krum doing an impossible looking  
twist-move as  
he caught the snitch. Damien smirked and decided to try the move later.  
He  
looked over at Severus, who was staring at him; the man hadn't even  
made to  
open his own presents.  
Damien frowned as he set down the book. "What's wrong, Dad?" he asked.  
  
Severus shook himself from the daze he was in. Damien smiled, "There  
are  
some presents under here for you too, you know."  
  
His father blinked and reached out to take a present from Dumbledore  
out  
from under the tree. It turned out to be a bottle of wine.  
  
Damien looked at the bottle, noting the year (1989) with satisfaction.  
"Good  
year…." He commented to his father. Severus's head snapped up, "And how  
would you know?" he asked suspiciously. Damien merely smiled.  
  
Damien reached for Pansy's present. It turned out to be a necklace with  
a  
phoenix feather on it. 'To bring you good luck in dark times…' her note  
had  
said. Damien admired the golden feather before slipping it on also. He  
felt  
tranquility wash over him and closed his eyes as he savored the  
feeling.  
  
Severus opened another present, which turned out to be from Ginny,  
Hermione,  
Ron, Draco, and Pansy. It was a green robe and they had even dared to  
put in  
a note attached to it, 'To bring some color to your closet, Professor.'  
  
Damien busted out laughing at the look on his father's face. "They're  
right,  
you know," he told the man.  
  
Severus rolled his eyes before smiling slightly and setting the gift  
aside,  
only to pick up a smaller package that was from Hermione. "Miss Granger  
sent  
me another present…." Severus said as he turned to Damien, who  
shrugged. It  
turned out to be Boomslang skin. When Damien realized what it was, he  
started laughing once again.  
  
"What?" Severus asked as he watched Damien laugh. "What's so funny?"  
  
Damien shook his head and said nothing as he thought about his second  
year  
when Hermione had stole the Boomslang skin from his father for the  
Polyjuice  
Potion. Obviously, she still felt a little guilty about the whole  
thing.  
  
There was five more presents left under the tree, two for Severus and  
three  
for Damien.  
Damien reached under to pull out Severus's two gifts and handed them to  
his  
father, who looked at them with a surprised look.  
  
"Open them!" Damien demanded, smiling at the shocked look on his  
father's  
face.  
  
Severus shot him a thankful look, "You didn't have to-"  
  
"Yes," Damien interrupted impatiently. "Yes I did need to, now open  
them!"  
  
Severus took his time as he slowly undid the wrapping, careful to not  
tear  
the wrapping.  
  
Damien groaned impatiently, "Just tear it!"  
  
His father smirked, "But it's such a pretty wrapping, I don't want to  
rip  
it."  
  
Damien rolled his eyes in response.  
  
Severus stared at the picture of the two of them, an odd expression on  
his  
face. Damien shifted, hoping his father liked it. "Where…" Severus  
began  
quietly, "Where…who took this?"  
  
"Dumbledore," was the simple response.  
  
His father's lips twitched and curled into a smile as the man reached  
out to  
trace a finger over the photo. Damien looked over his father's shoulder  
to  
see Severus and he waving up at them in the photo.  
  
"Thank you…" Severus whispered and stood up, putting the photo on the  
mantle. Damien smiled, "That's not all, there's another one."  
  
Severus took the other present in his hand and opened it. "You got one  
of  
these…?" the man asked as he stared at the clock.  
  
Damien smiled, "Yeah, I thought it would be nice to know where the  
other  
was." Damien watched the emotions crossing his father's face as he  
stared  
down at the clock; both hands were pointed at, 'At home.'  
  
Severus looked up at him, smiling. He pulled Damien into a hug, "Thank  
you;  
it's been so long since someone besides Albus has given me anything."  
  
Damien melted into the hug, gladly returning it, feeling a slight  
sadness  
for his father. They sat there like that for a couple of minutes before  
Severus pulled back and snatched the three remaining presents from  
under the  
tree, handing them to Damien.  
  
Damien unwrapped the first one, which was also the biggest. It was a  
photo  
album; similar to the one that Hagrid had given him in his first year.  
"I  
know you've already got one with Lily in it but this one has pictures  
of her  
in our younger years at Hogwarts," Severus explained as Damien flipped  
through the pages.  
  
There were pictures of his mother at eleven through seventeen in there.  
A  
couple even had his father with her. There was a picture of her sitting  
on  
the stool in her first year, the sorting hat on her head. Not only were  
there pictures of his mother, but also there were a couple photos of a  
pale  
woman with black hair and blue eyes.  
  
"This was your Grandmother," Severus told him quietly. "My mother…..she  
was  
a wonderful person, she loved everything. I wish you would have known  
her…"  
  
Damien smiled weakly as he stared at a picture of his sixteen year-old  
mother, her arm around his sixteen year-old father, both waving and  
smiling  
at him. He fought back the burning rising up in his eyes. "Thank you…"  
he  
whispered.  
  
Severus smiled before handing him the other two presents. One was very  
small  
and the other looked like a flat book. He opened the bigger one first.  
Damien swept the paper off of the book and his eyes widened as he read  
the  
title, 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Graduating Class of  
1978.'  
  
"Is this-"  
  
"Yes," Severus said. "It was my old yearbook."  
  
Damien eagerly flipped through the pages. It had a list of the names of  
the  
graduating students and a picture of the student beside their name. In  
the  
yearbook was comments made by teachers about random students, many more  
pictures, and the most unforgettable people listed.  
  
"Your mother received an award for Charms and was voted the most  
kindest  
person of our class," his father said quietly as he stared at Lily's  
seventh  
year picture. Damien's lips quirked, "Bet you got an award for Potions  
didn't you?"  
  
Severus nodded.  
  
Damien gently set the old yearbook aside before picking up the smallest  
and  
last present. It was a ring. It was silver and had a green jewel,  
carved in  
the shape of a 'D'.  
  
"It was my Grandfather's," Severus said as he took the ring from Damien  
and  
gently rolled it between his fingers. "He gave it to my mother, but as  
she  
was a girl, she never wore it and passed it on to me; it's yours now.  
Kind  
of like a family heirloom."  
  
"What's the 'D' stand for?" Damien asked.  
  
"It was my mother's maiden name, Denanman," Severus told him. Damien  
frowned.  
  
"Never heard of that name before…."  
  
"Yes, we are the last of the Denanman line, which is one of the oldest  
pureblood family, about as old as the Weasley's and the Crouch's."  
  
Damien slipped it on his finger, "Thank you…" he looked at Severus with  
twinkling eyes and hugged him once again.  
  
Severus smiled at the boy.  
  
"Merry Christmas, my son…."


	26. Chapter twenty five Darkness Rises

I am so so so so sorry for the very long wait. I went to the beach for a week and then my computer crashed again and then the computers at the library were all messed up!

Okay, now believe me when I say that the next chapters will be out very soon. Yes I said chapters, I am done with two already but I need to get them off my brothers laptop (he needs to burn it onto a CD). It might take a while to get him to burn them onto a CD but I'll try.

This is also unbetaed, I sent it to my beta reader and haven't gotten it back so I'll post the betaed up asap!

Thanks once again to my wonderful (patient) reviewers!! I love you all!!!

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Whew! Thats gotta be like 27 reviews! Thank you to all!

Chapter Twenty Five- Darkness Rises

"Finally, I can go to a ball," Draco sighed as he admired his appearance in the mirror. Damien rolled his eyes as he straightened his robes unnecessarily.

The first week back had been peaceful. There had been one calling, which Draco attended to and the necklace Damien had given him for Christmas had done its job. Draco had noticed the lack of pain and realized immediately what it was charmed to do. Needless to say the blonde would never wear the necklace again. According to Draco, Voldemort seemed to have realized that Damien and Severus were trying to quit his services since they didn't appear for the meeting. Also, according to the blonde, he was absolutely furious about being betrayed by his so-called heir.

"I bet you anything that the Yule Ball is going to be better then the Halloween Ball," Draco smirked, drawing Damien back to the present. "Duh..." Damien sneered. "It is the Yule Ball and nearly everyone attends it, not to mention the fact that the girls try to dress up more for this one."

Both boys grinned at each other.

"You said that Granger and Weasley dressed up for the Halloween Ball, though," Draco commented as they headed into the common room. Damien shrugged nonchalantly, "Yeah, but I bet they'll dress themselves up even more, you know how girls are."

Draco was about to respond when Pansy headed down from the girls dormitory.

She was wearing an emerald green gown, her hair done up in a French braid. In Damien's opinion, she looked a lot prettier then she had for the fourth year Yule Ball.

"Ready to go?" Pansy asked as she looped her arm with Draco's. Damien smirked at the light blush that appeared on the pale face before nodding.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

The ball was in full swing by the time Ron, Hermione, Damien, Ginny, Draco, and Pansy arrived.

"Is there a such of thing as triple dating?" Ginny asked Damien as they approached the dance floor. Damien smiled in response but said nothing.

The Great Hall was decorated exactly like it had been in the Yule Ball of the fourth year; except there weren't as many tables.

Damien heard Hermione giggle as she pointed to mistletoe hanging above Ron's head. Ron gulped and turned red.

"Do they always book the Weird Sisters?" Pansy asked from beside Damien and Ginny. "I like them and all, but their getting kind of.......old."

Damien and Ginny danced to the first slow song in silence. At the end, Damien turned to see Draco sitting at a table with a very angry Pansy trying to usher him onto the dance floor.

"What's wrong, Draco?" he called to the Malfoy. "Don't know how to dance?"

Draco turned a full shade of red, which was the first time he had ever truly blushed. "Can it, Snape!" Draco snapped.

Damien rolled his eyes, "Touché."

He spotted his father sitting in a chair at a circular table with Dumbledore. He approached the table and Dumbledore smiled at him kindly.

"Good evening, Damien!" the headmaster said cheerfully.

Damien smiled, "Good evening, headmaster."

"Are you and Miss Weasley enjoying yourselves?"

"Yes, me, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Pansy are," Damien cleared his throat slightly.

"That's quite a list," Dumbledore commented before he stood up to ask Professor Sprout to dance.

Damien sat in the chair the headmaster had been sitting in and smiled at his father. "Enjoying yourself, Dad?" he asked in an amused voice.

Severus sneered at him, "I would very much like to leave, thank you," he responded through clenched teeth as he glared at some students.

"Aww come on, Dad! Lighten up for once and have some fun!" Damien told him happily. "Why don't you ask Professor McGonagall to dance?" he teased innocently.

Severus scowled at him, "Minerva was MY teacher when I was your age! She was my MOTHER'S teacher in her seventh year! It'd be like dancing with my Grandma for heaven's sake!" he exclaimed.

"But you would dance with her if she were younger?" Damien asked slyly. Severus snarled, "You're really pushing it, boy...."

Damien's smirk faded slowly as a rush of memories suddenly attacked him at once when he heard his father call him, 'boy.'

"_Get over here, boy!"_

"_Boy, I'm warning you.........."_

"_If I hear one sound come out of you, boy, you won't come out of that bloody cupboard for the rest of the holiday!"_

"_If they cared about you so much then why do they always dump you with us every summer? Can you answer that, boy?"_

"_You should thank me for being so kind to you, boy. Most people would rather send you to an orphanage then look at you..."_

"_So you didn't finish you chores, eh? Saying you're too hungry? Is that right, boy? Well, that'll be another week without food then!"_

"_Get the hell over here you worthless piece of shit! You don't even deserve to be called boy anymore! No one cares about you; you don't have any feelings! Therefore, you are not a member of the human race anymore in my eyes!"_

"Damien?"

Damien looked into the concerned, dark eyes of his father. The man had both hands on either side of his shoulders. Damien then noticed that a couple people were staring at him oddly.

"Are you alright? What's wrong?"

Damien shook his head. "Nothing," he mumbled, his head bowed slightly as he tried to fight down the rising urge to empty his stomach of all its contents. "Its nothing...."

Severus frowned, not convinced in the least. "Maybe you should lay down for a while."

Damien scowled. "I'm fine! Just a little caught up in some old memories, nothing serious," he insisted stubbornly.

His father arched an eyebrow at him, "Maybe it was just some old memories, but the important thing is what these memories were about?" Severus looked at Damien expectantly. He knew that his son had been thinking about the abuse he had suffered; Severus had seen the dark shadow come across Damien's face whenever he was drawn out of a memory of Vernon Dursley during occlumency. Severus grit his teeth. He would kill that man and no, it wasn't an exaggeration, he would literally _kill_ the bastard for even _thinking_ about touching Damien. His thoughts came back to the present as he watched Damien struggle with his words; he put an arm around the boy.

"Go lay down for a while. It's early and if you fall asleep, I'll wake you up in an hour, okay?" he asked, his voice was uncharacteristically gentle. Damien looked slightly unsure before giving a small nod and heading out of the Great Hall with small reluctance.

"Where is Damien going, Professor?" Ginny Weasley asked as she watched her boyfriend leave, looking slightly hurt.

"He isn't feeling to well," Severus told the girl absently. "He's just going to lay down for a while. Will you be able to manage without him for an hour?" He smirked at the girl's blush.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Damien was roughly shaken from his peaceful nap. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and turned to glare at the person who had awaken him but was yanked out of the comfort of his soft bed before he could even open his eyes.

"What the-" someone gripping his arm tightly cut him off. Still half-asleep, he dazedly felt the person yanking up his left sleeve.

"Well, well, well," came a familiar taunting voice. "Snape's son a Death Eater? Why am I not surprised? Take him away."

Damien shot awake instantly to see three figures in official-looking cloaks glaring down at him. One of them he recognized to be the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.

Damien's heart turned to ice as he realized that his left sleeve was pulled up, revealing the ugly Dark Mark. He paled dramatically at Fudge's cruel smile.

"Realized it, have you?" the small minister spat tauntingly. "I knew that You-Know-Who was recruiting students and of course, you were one of the ones suspected. After all, your father is a Death Eater no matter what Dumbledore might say...."

Damien tried to form a word-any word but his mouth was to dry to say anything. Where was his father? And Dumbledore? Where were they?

"I-I'm not a Death Eater anymore," he sputtered, knowing how stupid it sounded at the moment. Fudge started laughing, "Going to use the old, 'I-am-a-spy-for-the-light' trick? Pity. I would have expected better from the supposed 'brilliant' Potion Master's son. Oh no...no, no, no, Mr. Snape." Fudge smirked, "You're father may have won with that trick but I assure you, Snape, you will be sitting in Azkaban in a mere couple of hours."

"No!" Damien began but was cut off as one of the ministry wizards slapped him hard across the face.

"You will hold your tongue, Death Eater!" the wizard spat, glaring at Damien with hatred. "You have lost any and all right as a wizard and your wand shall be snapped after your trial."

"T-trial?" Damien had pressed himself against the headboard as a fresh wave of memories from his stay at the Dursley's washed over him.

Fudge sneered, "Yes, Snape, a trial. Dumbledore insisted that we give you, as well as Mr. Malfoy one...." The minister scowled darkly at the mention of Dumbledore's name. "I'm beginning to think that Dumbledore has switched sides. Honestly! Giving You-Know-Who's followers trials!" Fudge seemed to realize that he was babbling as he stopped immediately and smirked triumphantly at Damien again. "But until your trial, you shall be staying with my dear friend here at Azkaban."

The man who had slapped Damien smirked nastily at the trembling boy.

"N-no..." Damien whispered pleading. Not Azkaban. The dementors were still there, he'd have to listen to his mother's screams....Sirius dying...Vernon beating him....

"No," he repeated. "Please-"

He tasted blood as the man slapped him again.

"Take him away, I say!" Fudge barked to the two men. "Now!"

The men grabbed Damien roughly around the shoulders and practically dragged him out of his room. The boy kicked and thrashed as he continued thinking about going to Azkaban, with the dementors.

"No!" he yelled as they heaved him down to the common room. He was not going to Azkaban without a fight and there was no way he was going peacefully.

"Stay still!" one of the men demanded. Fudge drew out his wand and pointed it at Damien.

"Crucio!"

A scream tore from Damien's lips as he thrashed even more until the curse was lifted. Panting and convulsing slightly, he hung limply in their grasp, his emerald eyes wide and glazed at what the minister had just done. Fudge smirked victoriously as he slipped the wand back into his robes and they continued on as if nothing had happened.

The common room was completely empty and Damien wondered briefly if the dance was still going on. He immediately dismissed the stupid thought; the after-effects of the Cruicatus were making him slightly delusional.

They drug him out of the Snake Pit and Damien knew precisely why the common room was so empty.

In the Entrance Hall, every student of Hogwarts was lined up, staring and whispering fearfully to one another.

Damien spotted Draco being held limply by another ministry wizard, though he looked petrified instead of crucified. He saw a couple other Slytherin students as well as a couple Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor students being held carelessly.

"We've got all of the recruits, minister," one of the ministry wizards sneered at them all. Damien's eyes combed the crowd for any sign of Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, or his father.

"Excellent," he heard the minister reply. "Take them all to Azkaban."

Damien closed his eyes against the different whispers and murmurs among the students.

"_Damien Snape, a Death Eater?"_

"_He always seemed to nice to be a Slytherin, let alone a Death Eater!"_

"_It's always the ones that you least expect."_

"_Malfoy isn't a surprise."_

"_Cho can't be a Death Eater!"_

"_She's not you idiot! She was supposed to be a spy!"_

"_Why doesn't she just tell them that?"_

"_That excuse has been used so many times that they won't believe it!"_

"_Yeah, I doubt that even if Dumbledore appealed they wouldn't let her go..."_

Damien reopened his eyes when they started moving as he stared at his schoolmates. Some were glaring at him; others were staring disbelievingly at him.

"It will be alright, Damien. We'll get you out, just hold on."

Damien's head snapped up to see Dumbledore looking at him sadly, his blue eyes, usually so full of twinkles and cheerfulness, were now glazed and slightly dulled. That small detail brought Damien more fear then Vernon had ever inflicted upon him.

"Where's my father?" he tried to yell to the man pleadingly but only a whisper escaped his now chapped lips. Dumbledore seemed to have heard him anyway. The older man opened his mouth to respond but Damien was promptly struck hard in the stomach. The boy all but crumpled into a heap on the floor, gasping painfully for air.

"Move along!" the wizard holding him commanded but Damien didn't listen, as he was drug carelessly.

Stars clouded Damien's vision and he grit his teeth as he tried to regain his breathing. Cold air hit his fragile lungs, making them burn terribly. He could feel his eyes watering from the pain.

Dimly, he could hear voices shouting to one another before he was thrust into a dark carriage. He opened his blurry eyes just in time to see Fudge shut and bolt the door. Darkness reigned and Damien shuddered, it was always in the darkness where he was beaten.

"Damien?" he heard Draco whisper from somewhere beside him. He turned, reaching out his arms to blindly feel for his friend.

"W-where are you?" he whispered back. His knees buckled as they started to move.

"Th-they're really t-taking us to Azkaban aren't th-they?" a terrified voice broke the short silence that had fallen. Damien recognized it as Lisa Turpin's voice. He wasn't that surprised that she was a Death Eater, she always had been one to hang around the Slytherins. She came from an old, pureblood family which was about as old as the Weasleys.

Thinking of the redhead family that he considered as his own made him think of Ginny. He missed her so much at that time. He missed her laughter, her smile, her glittering brown eyes. How he wished that he could see her again.

Realization seemed to hit Damien at full force. He might not ever get to see his family again. His family.......Ginny, Ron, Hermione, his father, Dumbledore......even Draco and Pansy seemed to be included in his family. Draco was with him now, which helped tremendously. He could hear the blonde's fast breathing from right beside him and Damien reached out to touch his shoulder. He felt slightly comforted that at least one member of his espoused family was with him.

He missed them all. Even though he had just seen them before he had gone to sleep, he had a feeling in his gut that he would never see them again. It suddenly felt as if he were loosing them, as if their image was slowly fading away in his mind, being replaced with a cold emptiness.

He remembered all the times he had joked around with his friends, when he'd stay up late with Draco and Pansy in the Snake Pit, quietly doing their homework that was due the next day. He remembered staying up late with Ginny in the Astronomy Tower as they watched the moon, sometimes sipping on butterbeer or pumpkin juice. He remembered studying tediously with Hermione in the library, sometimes disputing about their opinions to each other about a theory or a spell for hours on end before they both realized that they had missed dinner. He remembered being constantly cremated by Ron at Wizard Chess while Draco snickered slightly in the background and Ginny, Hermione, and Pansy rolled their eyes at their immaturity. He remembered staying for hours in the Room of Requirement with all of his friends, laughing and talking about something stupid that had happened earlier that day. Most of all though, he remembered the nights that he had stayed at his father's rooms, where they'd sit in front of the crackling fireplace and talk about one another's day or when Damien would eagerly listen to his father's stories about his mother in her school days.

Damien sat down on the cold floor, those times seemed like heaven now. 'There's still trial,' a voice reassured him in the back of his head but he shook it off. Fudge hated his father as well as anyone or anything to do with Death Eaters. There was no way that he would get out of this one. He rested his forehead on his knees, his breathing rapid. He already felt cold.

Right at that moment, Damien wanted his father with him so badly that it surprised him slightly. He wanted his father to be there with him, to tell him that everything was going to be okay, to give him that feeling of protection that he got whenever he was around the man. For him to sneer playfully at him as he said some mock-sarcastic comment when his onyx eyes were glittering playful. What Damien liked the most was the way his father had changed since the discovery. It was obvious to everyone how much his father cared for him and Damien loved it when his father's cold gaze (though not as cold and uncaring as it used to be) would brighten immediately, even shining with a touch of pride whenever he, Damien, came into the picture.

Damien was drawn out of his musings when the carriage finally stopped and the door was opened, bathing them all with the light from the wizards' wands. Damien was yanked from his spot and he immediately felt heavy metal clunk around his wrists as a ministry wizard put a heavy set of shackles on him. His breathing quickened even more, he hated being bound and helpless.

Draco was shoved into him, causing him to fall on the ground heavily. The blonde looked at him apologetically (he was gagged). Draco reached out a hand to help Damien up, only to be snatched roughly away by Fudge to be handcuffed also. Damien stood up shakily, finding it much more difficult due to his manacled hands.

They were immediately forced down into a rickety, wooden rowboat. Damien's eyes widened fearfully as he stared at the small island that they were fast approaching, which was also home to the wizarding prison, Azkaban.

He felt Draco tense slightly from beside him and knew that the blonde was afraid also. Damien briefly wondered what the Malfoy saw whenever the dementors came near him.

A scraping sound reached the boys' ears as the boat harbored. They were heaved out of the boat and all but drug to the doors of the dreaded wizard prison.

Damien closed his eyes as he felt the familiar coldness wash over him; he shuddered as his mother's screams started ringing loudly into his ears....

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Albus Dumbledore let his eyes roam over the occupants in his office. There were four to be exact, each one were teachers here and also members of the Order. Remus, Minerva, Filius, and Severus were all gathered around his desk in chairs. Each one was quiet; each one lost in their own thoughts.

No one looked happy.

Albus didn't blame the saddened faces; he was not happy either. Nine students had been arrested and sent to Azkaban. _Nine!_ Nine students had been expelled, nine children would never have a future all because of a simple mistake they made.

The mistake wasn't actually that simple. No, it was a huge mistake, a mistake that many children before them had made.

One of them was now sitting right in front of him.

Albus gazed down at the man he considered a son. Had it been any other circumstances, then Albus would have smiled at Severus's great worry for his son. But this wasn't another circumstance....no, this one was big, one not to be joked about.

Damien and Draco along with Cho Chang, his other spy, had been taken. The three were as innocent of being loyal Death Eaters as Albus was of being the Dark Lord. Cho had been working as a spy for Albus for about a year now. She had been Crucified only twice in that year and she hadn't been asked to do much of anything, except try to find a weakness in Harry Potter. That was mainly the reason why Albus had allowed Damien and Draco to be marked; he had thought that they would be treated as Cho had.

But, alas, even Albus Dumbledore could be wrong.

Obviously, since Voldemort assumed that the two had more pain tolerance and were more strong-willed, they were treated almost as he treated his Death Eaters. Except for Damien that is; Damien would have been treated better since Voldemort had planned for him to be the heir of Slytherin.

The thought of the determined boy made Albus's thoughts float back to Severus. The boy was so much like his father that it was uncanny. The only difference was that he didn't have the short fuse that his father had and the fact that the boy was so much more accepting and warm then Severus. Other then that (and of course the boy's eyes) Damien was exactly like Severus.

Albus was glad that Damien, unlike his father, had dealt with his unloving relatives easier and better then Severus had when he was a boy. Severus had become cold and uncaring because of the lack of love in his life. Damien, who had had friends to help him along the way, had instead taken the abuse and loathing that his relatives had given him, and used it to make him stronger. Even though Damien still had a small problem with raised voices and being called, 'boy,' he coped with it all better then Severus ever had.

Albus allowed his gaze to focus on the man in front of him. His thoughtfulness immediately morphed into sympathy for the man in front of him. He had never seen Severus so.......lost and.....devastated.....

The man was currently sitting in one of the chairs in front of the headmaster's desk. He was very pale. His face was in his hands, his black eyes, usually so cold or, when it came to Damien, warm, was now squeezed tightly shut, his breath coming out in hissing pants as he struggled to regain his composure.

Albus reached out a hand and put it on the man's shoulder. "Severus...."

Severus brushed his hand off his shoulder irritably. "Back off, Albus I don't need your pity!" he snarled, though it was obvious that he was shaking.

"Severus.....it is not your fault," Albus whispered gently to the man.

"Don't say that, Albus!" Severus snapped, taking his head out of his hands to glare at the old man. "You know as well as I do that it is _completely_ my fault!"

"Severus..."

"I shouldn't have even let him get marked!"

"It was just a mistake, Severus."

"But I shouldn't have made the mistake! _I'm_ the parent! _I'm _the one that is supposed to protect _my_ child! _Me_!!" Severus was now standing.

Albus gave the man a compassionate look. "I'm sure he doesn't blame you..."

"That doesn't matter anymore!" Severus yelled, forgetting that there were others in the room besides the headmaster and himself. "What matters is that he'll spend the rest of his life in Azkaban! What matters is I am the one who put him there!" Severus seemed to falter at the last part and he slumped back down in his chair, still shaking.

"What matters is that I'll never get to see him again..." he whispered and the meaning seemed to hit him at full force.

He would never get to see his son again. He would never get to see Damien, the only person that was keeping him alive at this moment, the only reason for living, ever again. That the boy would spend endless nights, shivering in a cold cell in Azkaban, being forced to constantly hear his mother's, Cedric Diggory's, and his godfather's deaths over and over again.

It tore Severus up to know that HE did that to his son. HE put him in Azkaban. HE allowed the boy to get marked. It was all his fault.....

"There is still trial, Severus," Albus reminded him softly.

Severus snorted mentally. Trail? What good would that do? Fudge hated anything to do with Voldemort and if he finds someone with a mark, then they'll go to Azkaban no matter what. Fudge had made sure of that after Severus was let free due to Albus's appeal. Fudge had been furious, and ever since that moment, the minister had hated Severus with a passion. Another reason why the trial wouldn't work.

Severus closed his eyes as he felt an unfamiliar burning sensation in them.

He would never get to hear Damien laugh again, or chatter insensitively again, or just....._live_ again. He would never see Damien's twinkling emerald eyes that had once belonged to his best friend, never see Damien grow up and get married and have children of his own. He would never see the boy's smiling face again. He'd never feel the now familiar love and pride he felt for Damien.

He would never get to hear the word, 'Dad,' cross his son's lips ever again.

Severus felt like the world was crashing down upon him.

And things were just about to get worse.........

() DONE!

I know you are probably hating me right now but it will work out, trust me!


	27. Chapter twenty six Traitors always pay

Thanks once again to everyone who reviewed! I posted two chapters at once and this (of course) is the first chapter! I know that all of you might have been angry with me but bear with me! And don't stop reading if you are displeased with this chapter because the next chapter will be a good one (I hope!).

This chapter as well as the other one is unbetaed, my beta reader must be on vacation or something, I don't know.

Chapter twenty six- Traitors always pay....

"My Lord, the ministry has taken some of our recruits prisoner," Lucius Malfoy spoke quietly to the ground rather then looking the monster into the eyes.

"Crucio!"

Lucius winced as the curse sailed by him and struck another Death Eater somewhere behind him. A muffled yell filled the air as one of the newest Death Eaters from Durmstrang rolled around on the ground in agony. The blonde man sighed in relief; maybe he would get through this meeting without being crucified for once.

Lately, the Dark Lord had been more short-tempered then usual since his finest Death Eater, Severus Snape, and his future heir, Damien Snape had betrayed him. He took his anger out on his other Death Eaters, namely Lucius.

"Perfect."

Lucius jumped at the pleased response before clearing his throat importantly, "Might I ask what is so perfect about this plan, my Lord?" His voice almost shook as he prepared himself to be hit by the dreaded curse for the fourth time this week. Fortunately, it didn't come, instead the Dark Lord responded with surprising patience.

"Take three of our first-rank Death Eaters to Azkaban prison. We attack tonight," Voldemort commanded as he idly twirled his wand between his fingers.

A murmur ran through the group at their master's command.

Voldemort paced around the circle and eyed them impatiently. "Well, what are you waiting for? I want my heir back! No one opposes Lord Voldemort!"

Lucius bowed before hurrying away with the two Lestranges and Macnair, his black robes swirling behind him and his face two shades paler.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Damien shivered in his cell, his knees were drawn up to his chest as he rocked slowly back and forth. From somewhere beside him, he could hear Draco murmuring quietly to himself. He wondered what the blonde was experiencing. Well whatever it was, it was clear that it was scaring the shit out of him.

Damien himself had just experienced the time when Severus had told him that he didn't care if he lived or not. That seemed ages ago and yet it still scared him into thinking that Severus might abandon him one day. He had already witnessed his godfather's death around six times, not to mention the times that he had seen Cedric and his mother die. It hurt, it hurt more then he thought it ever would.

He had tried to prepare himself for Azkaban, for the horrors he knew he was to face but now it seemed that nothing could have prepared him for this. It was horrible, like living in a nightmare with no one to wake you up, no one that cared.....

He felt like an endless void as of right now, as if he could barely even remember the people he loved like his father, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. Their images, their faces seemed to be floating away and he, Damien, was helpless to bring them back.

Damien curled up into a tighter ball as a dementor stopped by his cell for the fifth time since he had gotten thrown into it. Damien pressed himself flat against the stone wall of the cell, trying desperately to meld into the wall and get away from the horrid creature.

A rattling sound met his ears as the dementor started to suck in any memory of Ginny, Hermione, Ron, or his father that he might have. Damien closed his eyes as his mother's screams rang in his ears once again. The coldness seemed to consume him and he suddenly felt as if he were falling, falling in an endless hole.

"Damien!" Said boy jumped as a familiar voice met his ears. His emerald eyes shot open and he took in his surroundings hesitantly. He was still curled up against the wall but the dementor was gone. Apparently he had passed out.

"Damien!" he heard Draco's voice call out again. He shakily got to his feet and walked as fast as he could to the bars of his cell. He grabbed onto the iron bars and pressed his face against it, his dulled green eyes staring across the dark aisle hopefully.

"What?" his voice sounded dry and raspy to his ears. A second later, Draco Malfoy's familiar silvery-blonde head came into his peripheral vision.

"Did you hear that?" Draco asked, his blonde hair was on end, mixed with dirt and sweat. Damien quieted his breathing and listened intently. He heard it, a muffled rumble from somewhere deeper inside the prison. His frightened eyes met Draco's and they stared at one another for a minute before turning back to the long aisle that led deeper into Azkaban.

There was silence, then a loud bang echoed through the corridor, making the walls shudder. Damien sucked in his breath as four dark figures made their way to his and Draco's cell.

"Those aren't dementors," he whispered to Draco. The figures moved to swiftly to be dementors, to rough. No. They were wizards, Death Eaters, he could tell by their masks and robes.

"Draco," he began. "I think th-they're Death Eaters."

The blonde said nothing as he stared blankly at the approaching figures.

"Stop!" a voice commanded. The ministry wizard that had carried Damien into Azkaban strode over to the cloaked figures, his wand drawn threateningly. "Stop in the name of the Ministry of Mag-" Whatever he was going to say next was cut off one figure spoke in a hushed tone, "Avada Kadavra" There was a flash of green light, a rushing sound and the man's now lifeless body dropped heavily onto the ground right in front of Damien's cell.

Damien's eyes widened as he stumbled away from the body, his breathing quickened rapidly as he flashed back to when Cedric died. It was all his fault.....again. This poor man was just another victim that had been killed because of Damien. Sure he hadn't been all that nice, but he had just been doing his job.

Damien squeezed his eyes shut as he fought down the bile rising in his throat. He could hear Draco calling to him but couldn't respond. He clamped a hand over his mouth and didn't even respond when the figure that had killed the ministry wizard blasted away the bars of his cell and roughly hauled Damien out of his cell.

He didn't respond when they port keyed away to the Riddle House. He didn't respond when the four Death Eaters drug him into the meeting room. He finally looked up when he recognized the familiar burning in his forehead, magnified a hundred times what he was used to. He let out a soft whimper of pain and clamped both hands over the hidden scar.

"Damien?" Draco asked from beside him. "Are you alright?"

Damien shook his head and finally looked up to glance around at his surroundings. The room was exactly how he had remembered it.

The Death Eaters were in a circle around him and he realized that Draco was no longer beside him. His eyes darted around frantically for his friend and he spotted the blonde beside Lucius Malfoy, looking as haughty as ever.

Draco glanced at him almost apologetically as Damien watched him accept the Death Eater robes that his father offered to him. He swallowed, he was all alone now. Draco couldn't help him. His father didn't know he was here, nor did Dumbledore or the Order. He was going to die.

Realization hit him at full force and he felt sick again. He was going to die. He was never going to see daylight again. He was going to die at Voldemort's hand. The prophecy will be fulfilled tonight.

His eyes refocused on the man at the front of the circle. He felt as if he had swallowed his tongue as his head exploded in pain. Lord Voldemort looked down upon him with interest, a cruel smirk planted on his face that clearly yelled out, "I win."

"Damien Snape," he spoke calmly. "How nice to see my precious heir again."

"I will never be your heir. I'd rather die then serve you!" Damien yelled in a raspy voice. He felt his heart turn to ice. Why? Why had he said that? He stupid-ass Gryffindor foolishness had gotten the better of him once again. He settled on biting his tongue to suppress the pain.

Voldemort started to laugh, a cruel sound that echoed through the large room. Damien shivered and the Death Eaters shifted uncomfortably. The Dark Lord continued to smirk at him, "I'm afraid you lost that choice when you were marked, Mr. Snape."

Damien swallowed, the pain was unbearable now. He couldn't see, everything seemed to be in a big, dull haze. He blinked rapidly to clear his vision and held his ground as Voldemort towered over him.

'If you are going to die,' he told himself, 'then you will die with honor, you won't die begging for mercy. Don't give that bastard the pleasure.'

Damien agreed with the voice and looked up into the Dark Lord's scarlet eyes. His head felt as if it were splitting open. Just like last year except worse, so much worse....

Voldemort's smirk turned into a sneer. "You will pay. You and your pathetic father will pay. No one opposes Lord Voldemort." He paused as he studied Damien's tortured expression almost curiously.

"But I still need an heir," he said in an acid tone as his eyes bore into Damien's.

"Never," Damien whispered weakly as he looked the monster into the eyes. "I will never....never join.....you," it was getting much more difficult to talk.

Voldemort's eyes flashed in anger and he spoke so coldly that Damien shivered not only at his words but at his tone:

"You will be my heir and I will crush every resistance that you have even if I have to hunt down every loved one you have."

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Severus shakily stirred his tea as he reached for a muffin only to knock over the pitcher of pumpkin juice. Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, Severus or you will not make it through breakfast."

Severus closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. "He's already been in Azkaban for two days, Albus," his voice shook as he spoke. "How long could it take to get an appeal? What if we're to late? I can't loose him Albus...."

"Severus," Dumbledore interrupted gently. "Everything will be alright, I promise you that."

Severus sighed again and took a sip of tea.

"Oh my goodness!" Professor McGonogall exclaimed from beside him as she stared at the Daily Prophet. "What is it, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

Professor McGonogall glanced at Severus cautiously before slowly handing over the paper. Severus stared down at his son's smiling face as he read the headline:

Death Eaters Attack on Azkaban. Snape and Malfoy escaped!!

Beside Damien's picture was a picture of Draco Malfoy. Severus's heart skipped a beat as he read the paper.

On the night of January 11, 1997 another Death Eater attack was launched on Azkaban prison. Draco Malfoy and Damien Snape were found missing from their cells and their guard, Phillip Marchessie, was found dead by the killing curse. Snape and Malfoy were arrested only two nights before from Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry and were labeled as Death Eaters in training. The Dark Mark was found on both boys' forearms and Ministry Wizards suspect that You-Know-Who may be coming back for the remaining Death Eaters still locked away in Azkaban that were arrested on the same night as Snape and Malfoy. Meanwhile-

Severus looked up from the paper to glance at Albus. The old man looked very pale, a rather unusual sight to be seen on Albus Dumbledore. It made Severus shiver.

"I should have known something like this would happen," Dumbledore whispered as he sat back looking very old all of the sudden.

"But we are going to save him," Severus told the man. "The Dark Lord will kill him, Albus. We have to find him!"

Albus shook his head. "There's nothing we can do, Severus."

"Why not?" Severus exclaimed as he stood up, glaring down at the headmaster. "How can you say that? You said he was just like a grandson to you and yet you sit there and do nothing when he needs us the most!"

"Severus..." Dumbledore began looking up at the Potion's Master with tired eyes. "We cannot just attack Tom and survive no matter how many order members we have. They will be expecting that. We need to wait-"

"But I don't want to wait!" Severus roared, attracting the attention of the students. "What I want is to have my son back! To know that he isn't going to be mutilated by a monster just because he tried to do the right thing! I will not wait while he is out there suffering when it is my fault in the first place that he is out there."

A ringing silence met the end of Severus's rant. Dumbledore sighed, ignoring the students shocked and curious looks as he reached up to rub his eyes tiredly.

"I know Severus. It only your nature to want to keep your child from harm but we have to wait, Severus. There is no other choice unless you wish to...ahem," Albus said very quietly, taking note to the students, who were still staring at them, "...reveal him." He glanced around at the students and cleared his throat. "If you could please get back to your breakfast we would be most appreciative," he said, addressing the students.

The chatter and talk started back up almost reluctantly though it was obvious that many of the students were still staring at their two professors.

Albus turned back to Severus, who was staring blankly at him.

"Why? Why do you say that?"

"Because, why would the leader of the Order try to rescue a Death Eater? It wouldn't make since and the only way we could explain our actions would be to reveal who he really is," Dumbledore spoke very quietly.

"We can't do that," Severus whispered glaring at Dumbledore. "He'd die for sure and if he did manage to survive then they-everyone would hate him....shun him because he is the son of a supposed Death Eater."

"Exactly my point." Dumbledore said wisely. A squawk rang through the hall and he looked up to see a raven flying at top speed toward them.

It flew by Severus and dropped a note on his lap before taking off again.

Severus stared at the black envelope cautiously and glanced over at Dumbledore, who gave a firm nod. Slowly he broke the seal and took out the note. It only had one line on it:

Your son is mine now.

There was no signature, but none was needed. Severus dropped the letter with trembling hands and sat stock-still as Dumbledore reached down to pick it up and read it.

"Severus..." Dumbledore whispered as he stared at the frozen Potion's Master.

Severus was quiet as he stared unblinkingly at the man he had considered a father so many times. Without a word he stood up and strode out of the Great Hall, a scowl planted firmly on his face.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Crucio!"

A ragged scream echoed through the cavernous room followed by the sniggers of the others who were in it. Damien panted as the curse was lifted from him. His already sore throat burned terribly once again. The Death Eaters jeered at him, daring him to keep resisting.

Damien groaned as he tried to move. He was lying on his back in the middle of the circle of Death Eaters; the Dark Lord was looming over him, his wand still trained on him. Damien swallowed, they had been at it for hours but he wouldn't give in, he would never serve that monster.

"Have you had enough, Damien?" Voldemort asked mockingly. Damien said nothing, he was to concentrated on the still increasing pain in forehead. He was surprised that it hadn't gone numb from the pain. He nearly gagged at the smell, to put it simply he was lying in a pool of his own blood. He had thought that he had experienced pain before, but he was wrong, so wrong. The pain that he had felt at the Ministry of Magic last year was nothing compared to this. He had lost count of the number of Cruciatus's that had been cast on him. Everything seemed to be in a big blur and the only thing his worn out mind could comprehend was the pain.

Bellatix Lestrange stepped up to him, bowing before the Dark Lord. "My Lord, if I may?" she asked humbly, her smile was hiden by her mask.

"Of course, Bella," Voldemort smirked at his most loyal Death Eater.

"Thank you, my Lord," she took off her mask and pulled out a small vial of a yellowish potion from her robes, smirking at Damien. "Here you go, sweetie," she cooed mockingly as she opened the vial and put it to Damien's lips. "Open up."

Damien clamped his mouth shut as tightly as he could shut and glared at her defiantly. Her smirk turned into an angry scowl as her cooing voice hardened significantly. "I said open up!" she kneed him hard in the stomach and Damien hissed in pain. Bellatix grabbed his chin and forced his mouth open before pouring the liquid into his mouth.

It tasted strongly of overcooked cabbage, like the Polyjuice Potion had except the taste was more stronger.

Bellatrix smirked victoriously as she stepped back and waited for the potion to take effect. For a moment, Damien felt nothing, then all of the sudden, a horrible pain tore through his body. He clamped his mouth shut once again as he felt a wail of pain welling up in his throat. It felt exactly like the Cruciatus Curse, like a million hot knifes cutting into him over and over again.

Damien waited tersely for the pain to recede like the Cruciatus eventually did but the pain only grew. Why wouldn't it stop? He felt as if he were bleeding, the knives were stabbing into him over and over again, it wouldn't stop, the pain only got worse. It was like the Cruciatus times ten and it felt as if it wasn't stopping anytime soon. The pain magnified even more and Damien was surprised that he didn't feel blood running down his body. Perhaps he was starting to get numb. A scream finally tore from his mouth as it echoed loudly across the room, filled with more pain then any Cruciatus Curse could have ever done.

Voldemort chuckled, "Excellent potion, Bellatrix," he commented as he watched Damien's squirming form with amusement. "The Razor Edge Potion I assume?" he asked idly.

Bellatrix nodded, pleased with her master's comment. "Yes, Severus brought it in on the last meeting he attended."

Voldemort's smirk widened as he bent down next to Damien and whispered in the boy's ear, "You hear that, Damien? Your father made this potion. He did this to you, he caused you this pain, not I. Just one word Damien and this will stop."

Damien let out another yell of pain as Voldemort put a hand on his shoulder to stop his squirming. His father had made this potion? No. His father didn't know that Voldemort would use this potion on him, it wasn't his fault. He knew that. His father never would have given the monster this potion had he known what it would be used for.

His father......Damien's heart ached as he thought of the man. He missed him so much. He wished that he were here right now, comforting him, telling him that he was doing the right thing.....anything, he just wanted to hear his father's voice again. He could barely even remember what he looked like, his mind was so clouded with pain.

"Dad," he whispered so quietly that only he could hear himself. He watched as Voldemort drew back with a scowl and raised his wand to Damien again. "Please.....please help me, Dad. I need you...."

His scream rose astonishingly as the Dark Lord added the Cruciatus Curse to the potion.

() Like I said before, read the next chapter!! I would also appreciate it if you review!


	28. Chapter twenty seven Rescue and the unex...

Alright, as I promised, here is the second chapter. ATTENTION!! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ CHAPTER TWENTY SIX THEN DO SO!! I POSTED TWO CHAPTERS AT ONCE! Okay, now that thats settled, the story continus....

Chapter twenty seven- Rescue and an unexpected ally.

The wind whipped against him powerfully but he did not recede. He had a mission and there was no way that he was going to abort it. Night had fallen and it made the shadows that danced across the houses look like spirits. He stared up at the towering house of Riddle and felt a small touch of fear nudge its way into his heart. No. He could not be afraid, he could not afford to be afraid. If he was, then it could cost Damien's life and nothing, not even his own, was worth that. He took a deep breath and told himself that whatever he was about to do, whatever he was about to sacrifice would be worth it as long as he completed his purpose for coming here. With that thought in mind, he started to walk into the Riddle house only to freeze when a scream tore through the quiet night.

Severus froze instantly, he knew that sound, he had heard it a million times during Occlumency lessons. It was Damien.....

Without a thought about what he was doing, Severus rushed into the house.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Damien felt absent. He felt as if he weren't even alive. It was as if he was dying and yet his body was still alive. He knew he was slipping; he could only take so much after all, he was only sixteen. He was slowly loosing his mind, he knew. Ever since the first Cruciatus had been fired, he had felt himself start to fade away but now, the pain was so bad, it hurt so much, he couldn't take it anymore. He wasn't going to die, he was going to go insane, loose his mind and forget everything and everyone in his life. He was going to be exactly like Neville's parents, Alice and Frank, empty and blank, not recognizing even the most important people in his life.

He suddenly thought about his father and his friends. What were their names again? Ronnie and Hermoninny? No, it was Ron and Herma....no Hermione. Yes, that was it, Ron and Hermione. And Ginny and his father.......and Draco and Pansy. He remembered their names at least though he could barely remember what they looked like at that point, the pain was unbearable, he no longer had any since of time. An hour could have passed for all he knew.

Damien closed his eyes and tried to focus on what his friends looked like through the blinding pain. Thinking only hurt his head more and he suddenly couldn't even remember where he was. Where was he? Why was he in pain in the first place? What about his mother? Why couldn't he remember her? What was his name again? A haze seemed to settle itself in his mind and he suddenly didn't think of anything.

Voldemort watched the boy, he could tell that Damien was slipping, not his resistance, but his mind. He narrowed his eyes. He couldn't have a heir if the boy was insane like Bellatix had done to the Longbottoms.

"Give him the antidote, now!" he commanded to Bellatrix. She bowed shortly and hurried over to the boy, forcing his mouth open to pour in the antidote. She hoped that he wasn't insane, she could tell that her master would kill her for crushing his heir's mind.

Damien's body went limp as the antidote began to take effect. Bellatrix could hear the boy's shallow breathing but that didn't guarantee that he was still sane. She kicked him hard in the ribs, "Get up boy, you're not dead!"

"Don't touch him!" the Dark Lord snapped to her and she immediately recoiled. He walked over to his heir and bent over the boy.

"Enervate!" he muttered and Damien's eyes slowly opened. Bellatrix sighed in relief from behind her mask.

"Dad?" Damien whispered blearily as he looked around with unseeing eyes. Voldemort's eyes narrowed at Bellatrix, who took a step back and glanced at the dazed boy cautiously.

"Dad?" Damien asked again as he stared past Voldemort to someone else. Voldemort whirled around in time to hear a loud, "Stupefy!"

He had to jump out of the way of the giant, red jet of lighting. Briefly, he wondered why it was so big but he dismissed the thought as his eyes focused on the person who had fired it.

Severus Snape stood tall beside Draco Malfoy, his wand was drawn and trained on the Dark Lord.

"Dad...." Damien whispered weakly before he passed out once again.

"Crucio!" Voldemort roared and a jet of red light issued from his wand toward Severus.

The man dodged the Unforgivable Curse and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Lumus Solem!" A blinding flash of light filled the room and Voldemort roared in fury.

Severus wasted no time in hurrying to pick up Damien. He cradled the boy to his chest and cursed at the blood that his son was soaked in. He needed to get Damien out of here. The light was just beginning to fade as Severus wheeled around to run out of the door. He heard Voldemort's yell of fury followed by an, "Avada Kedavra!"

Severus allowed himself to fall to the floor with his body over Damien as the emerald curse whizzed by his head. He felt someone pull on his arm and looked up to see two figures looming over him.

"Lucius, Draco," he whispered, eyeing the older Malfoy with caution.

Was Lucius a spy too? But that seemed impossible! Lucius Malfoy was one of Lord Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters. He was anything but good and almost any wizard could feel the Dark Magic radiating off from the man whenever he was around. But then again, Lucius was always the good actor when they had been in school........but this....this was just genius! Severus had always known that Lucius was one of the most cunning and intelligent people he'd ever met but he had never known that Lucius was this good.

"What the hell are you doing here, Severus?" Lucius hissed as he hauled his old friend up. Draco raised his wand and yelled, "Protego" as a Death Eater aimed a 'Stupefy' at them.

"LUCIUS!!" Voldemort roared.

Severus glanced apologetically at Lucius. "Looks like your spying days are over too," he muttered quietly before taking a step back and tightening his grip on Damien, "You are a spy aren't you?"

Lucius took off his mask and rolled his ice blue eyes. "Always the cautious one aren't you, Severus? You haven't changed a bit. Follow me."

Severus took another step back, staring at Lucius as if to say, "And you expect me to just follow you?"

Draco nodded and stepped up next to his father. "Don't worry," he assured as he glanced briefly at Lucius. "He's been a spy almost as long as you have."

Severus narrowed his eyes suspiciously but said nothing. It was obvious that he wanted to say something but they didn't have the time as Death Eaters started throwing curses at them while Voldemort raised his wand.

"Follow me! Come on!" Lucius snapped impatiently as he shoved Draco down to avoid a 'Crucio' that had been aimed at him.

He led Severus through a door that led to a flight of stairs. "Where are we going? The exit is the other way," Severus snapped as he glanced over his shoulder anxiously.

Lucius shook his head. "Blocked," he muttered in word of response. "It is always the first thing to be blocked when prisoners are trying to escape."

They continued to run up the stairs until they came to a door. Severus stopped to catch his breath after running up the many flights of stairs.

"Come on!" Draco snapped as he ran over to Severus's side in an attempt to help him hurry.

"Where.......are we?" Severus panted as he walked slowly up to Lucius.

"Roof," the blonde said shortly as he peered down the stairs to see if anyone was coming.

"What?" Severus exclaimed. "What are we doing on the roof? We are cornered now, you realize? Unless that was your plan in the first place...."

"Stop being so paranoid!" Lucius snapped. "Yes, I am a spy and no, this wasn't my plan. I am as wanted as you and Damien now." He paused to sweep back his hair and Severus sneered.

"Well forgive me if it's a little hard to believe this coming from the man that made me practically rape Lily," he retorted icily. Lucius stiffened and turned to glare at Severus. "This isn't the time or place to talk about this, Severus," he spat. "We don't have enough time! Now there is a pond we can jump into."

"It's to much of a jump, we'll be killed!"

"No we won't. It's very deep, just don't loose Damien," Draco answered for his father before the man could open his mouth.

"They're coming, we need to go now," Lucius commanded as he flicked his wand and muttered, "Alohamora!"

The door sprang open and the four traitors hurried out onto the roof.

"This way!" Lucius yelled over his shoulder as he walked over to the northern edge of the roof. "Come on, hurry or they'll reach us before we get a chance to get out of the pond."

"And where exactly do we go from there? Walk? They'll catch us in less then an hour!" Severus exclaimed as he tightened his hold on his son.

"Use your head, Severus. I have an emergency portkey," Lucius turned to stare down at the dark water. "Why are you here anyway? You know that Dumbledore wouldn't let anything happen to your precious son and Draco and I wasn't going to let him die."

"Oh yes," Severus stated quite coldly. "And you were doing a marvelous job of taking care of him." He sneered. "Besides, I wouldn't know that you were a spy now would I?"

"You know as well as I do that we couldn't just reveal ourselves to try and save him because it would have never worked," Lucius retorted. "That is the number one rule for any spy is to never reveal themselves in a crowd of their enemies. Not to mention its common sense, Severus."

"You wouldn't be saying that if Draco were in Damien's place," Severus said crisply.

Lucius's face darkened but he said nothing.

"Quick!" Draco yelled as he came running over to them from the doorway. "They're coming, we need to jump now!"

Severus took a small step toward the edge of the roof and cautiously glanced down at the placid water. "Are you sure about-"

"Yes!" the two Malfoys exclaimed in unison.

"Stun them you idiots! Stun them or the Lord will have our heads!" he heard a nameless Death Eater shout at the others.

A shrill laugh made him wince and Bellatrix Lestrange took off her mask, revealing her dark, lidded eyes and sickly face. "I always knew that we couldn't trust you after the Lord killed your dear sister, Lucius," she mocked and Lucius stiffened. She paused to sweep back her long hair. "I tried to tell him that you and Severus would betray him but he never listened." She smirked widely, revealing her yellowing teeth. "But you have a son, Severus," she eyed Damien's limp form and her lips curled into a nasty smile. "After all, there is things much more worse then death isn't there?"

"Go!" Lucius yelled. "Go now! We'll handle them and meet you outside the wards directly."

"But-"

"Shut up and go!"

Severus backed away toward the edge and glanced at his old friend and student before tightening his hold on Damien and leaping off the roof. He heard Bellatrix's scream of fury before he felt a rush of wind followed by an icy coldness as they both plunged into the pond a couple seconds later.

As soon as he got his bearings back he kicked toward the surface, making sure that he was still holding onto Damien. He broke the surface, gulping in air greedily as he held Damien's head above the surface, his lungs felt as if they were on fire. He quickly made his way to the shore and trumped out of the pond before making his way to the edge of the forest that circled Little Hangleton.

When he reached the end of the wards, he gently set Damien down and finally took in the full extent of his son's injuries.

The boy was a bloody mess. Cuts and lacerations ran up and down the boy's pale body. His left wrist was twisted in a very wrong way. Tremors ran through his body as an after effect of the Cruciatus and Severus could tell that the boy had been under it for a very long time. He began to fear Damien's mental state. What if the boy had been driven to insanity? What if he was just an empty shell right now? What if he didn't recognize he, Severus, himself? Severus really didn't want to think about it.

Damien jerked suddenly and his eyes flew open for a moment. They opened and closed a few times before focusing on Severus.

"Dad.....?" Damien whispered questioningly before he passed out again.

Severus fumbled with a pocket of his robes for a moment before pulling out his wand and casting a quick drying spell on the both of them. He then took off his cloak and wrapped it around his son. Damien stirred but didn't wake. Severus watched the boy for a moment before he heard a stumbling sound.

His head shot up and he kept a tight grip on his wand as he waited. A moment later, Draco and Lucius came into view and Severus sighed in relief.

"Any trouble?" he asked quietly.

"Bella was a bit hard to stun but we got her," Lucius replied as he took something off his wrist. Severus peered closer and found that it was a muggle watch. "Well that's surprising," he nodded to the watch and the blonde shrugged. "It's the last thing anyone would think is a portkey."

Lucius tapped it a couple times with the tip of his wand. "Dumbledore is going to kill you, I hope you know," he said in a slightly taunting way as he scowled at the headmaster's name. Lucius had always hated Dumbledore, Severus knew that and he guessed that even if Lucius really did work for the light, he still hated the man.

"Yes, I know and frankly, I don't care," he retorted evenly as he grabbed on to a portion of the portkey and picked up Damien again. Draco did the same and Severus felt a pull from behind his navel and the last thing he heard was, "Stupefy!" before a rush of color filled his vision.

His feet hit the ground and he immediately collapsed on top of Damien, he really hated portkeys. He quickly stood up and picked the boy up before he called over his shoulder, "Come on! We need to go now!" When no one followed he whirled around only to see Lucius lying on the ground, stunned. He rolled his eyes.

Draco snorted at his father's indulgent look and muttered, "Finite Incantantem."

Lucius immediately straightened up, making sure there were no creases in his robes and that every hair was in place before following an impatient Severus.

"We've wasted time!" Severus snapped as the blonde passed by him. "He's loosing blood!"

"Then stop squabbling and let's go," Lucius called over his shoulder in a board voice.

It was now completely dark and Hogwarts was all lit up, making it look even more splendid. The three hurried into the castle, making sure that they stayed hidden from the prefects that were patrolling the halls as they made their way up to the Hospital Wing with their precious load.

Severus burst into the informatory first, closely followed by the Malfoys. Poppy was drawn out of her office by the noise and looked as if she was prepared to treat a student whom had gotten into a fight. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of them.

"Oh my goodness!" Poppy exclaimed as she laid eyes on Draco and Lucius. "What are they doing in here! They are both supposed to be in Azkaban!"

"Just shut up and treat Damien, woman!" Severus snapped as he started to take Damien's tattered robes off. Poppy's eyes widened astonishingly as she stared at Damien's bloodied body. "Oh my!" she looked tearfully at Severus. "He was tortured wasn't he?" she whispered.

"Obviously," he snapped. "Now treat him, damn it! He's loosing blood."

Poppy wiped away her tears and switched into nurse mode as she began to clean Damien up. She stopped for a moment though and turned back to stare at Lucius. "I know that Damien and Draco are spies but......Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater!"

"No he isn't," Draco jumped to his father's defense. "Just trust us, he's not loyal to the Dark Lord.......at least.........not anymore..."

"And what is that supposed to mean, exactly?" Severus snapped as he turned to Lucius.

"I'll go get the headmaster," Draco said quietly, not wanting to get involved. "Make sure to stay out of sight," Lucius called to the boy. "You broke out of Azkaban, remember?"

Draco muttered something and hurried out of the Wing to get Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore is not going to be happy with you, Severus," Poppy murmured as she continued to clean up Damien. "He told you not to do anything..."

"But I was successful," Severus replied. "And if I would have waited then he would have gone insane!"

"There is no guarantee that he's not at the moment," Poppy said quietly as she trained her wand over Damien.

Severus stared at her, the color seemed to have drained from his face. "No," he shook his head. "He's not-"

"Open your ears, Severus! She said she wasn't sure," Lucius said impatiently.

"We have to wait until he wakes up to see," Poppy told Severus solemnly. "Which might be a while. He's been through so much pain that I can't believe his mind and body isn't completely crushed already. His mind needs a chance to heal itself a little before he can wake up or he will be insane for sure," she explained.

Severus stared at Damien wordlessly. Lucius began pacing back and forth, deep in thought. He turned to Severus, who still was very pale and sighed.

"I believe you asked me a question?" he tried to sound board.

Severus glanced up at him but said nothing.

Lucius went on. "I turned spy after the Dark Lord killed Cassandra," he said quietly. "He didn't need to kill her, she was a pure-blood and all but she didn't agree with our ways, so he tortured and killed her." He turned away from Severus's shocked gaze. "I helped torture her......I was afraid that he would think of me as a betrayer if I didn't, even if she was my sister." His eyes glazed slightly as he said very quietly, "I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself." He swallowed and turned back to Severus, his expression indifferent. "I went to Dumbledore because I knew she would have wanted me to. She had tried to convince me so many times to ask Dumbledore to work as a spy but I always declined."

"Then why did you put the Imperious on me? Why did you make me...." he couldn't finish.

"I wasn't a spy back then," the blonde responded, his composure regained. "I was loyal to the Dark Lord at that time."

Severus scowled at him.

"It's not like you weren't ever completely loyal to him either!" Lucius snapped at Severus's look.

"Actually, I never was," Severus replied crisply. "I was forced by my father-"

"You were not," Lucius smirked. "You try to deny it all the time with that excuse but you just won't accept that you made a mistake! You joined to impress your father, he didn't make you."

"He was going to in a couple of months," Severus defended.

"But he still didn't make you join at that moment," Lucius countered.

"We have more important matters to be talking about other then the past," Severus snapped. "The past is the past and there's nothing you or I can do to change it. We both made a mistake."

Lucius snorted and turned away with his arms folded arrogantly across his chest.

"Severus don't you ever listen to what I tell you?" Dumbledore sighed as he strode into the Hospital Wing with Draco.

Severus flushed and Lucius smirked.

"I wasn't just about to let my son die, Albus," Severus said coolly.

"Damien is wanted," Dumbledore told the man as he sat down in a chair beside Damien's bed. "How long can we hide him until the ministry does another search on Hogwarts?"

"I don't want to think about that right now, Albus. I just wanted to get him out of there," Severus said tiredly. He thought that he saw a flicker of amusement flash in Dumbledore's eyes.

"Is he going to be okay?" Draco asked quietly as he eyed Damien's pale form. No one answered him for a moment. Then Poppy spoke up, "We're not sure yet, Mr. Malfoy. He needs to wake up on his own before we can see if he's alright mentally."

Draco nodded and glanced at Severus quickly. "Professor?" he asked him.

"Yes, Draco?"

"Why was Damien in so much pain when the Dark Lord was close to him?"

"He was under the Cruciatus! What do you expec-"

"No, not when he was being cursed. Before you came, he looked as if he was in pain whenever the Dark Lord was near." Severus blinked and looked over at Dumbledore.

"Well-"

"Is there something wrong with him? Does that have anything to do with the potion he took before that one meeting before Christmas?" Draco asked curiously, he had his suspicions, but he just wanted to make sure.

"This isn't really the time to talk about this, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said patiently.

"Why? What are you hidding?" Draco demanded, though not harshly. "What is so secret about Damien? Is he sick, or is it something else?"

"Draco..." Lucius warned, though he to looked curious. "This isn't the time."

The boy looked at his father and huffed in annoyance. He had been very curious about Damien ever since he had punched him in the nose. Damien was so Slytherin and yet so........so.......Gryffindor. As much as Draco hated to admit it, he could tell that Gryffindor would have been a good house for Damien also. The boy was so loyal to his friends and, as far as he had seen, was pretty brave when it came to defending his friends or his father. But along with that, Damien was also very Slytherin. He was cunning, that was for sure. You had to be cunning in order to be a spy for the Dark Lord. He also seemed to seek to be the best, or to stand out individually. It was like he wanted to be the best, but he didn't want any attention for it. Damien had always been a rather mystery to Draco even though he'd known him now for about five months but he felt as if he had known him longer. Damien reminded Draco of someone but he couldn't put his finger on who. Well either way, when a Malfoy wanted something, they got it one way or another and Draco was going to find out what the 'big secret' about Damien really was. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to like it.

() Hmm....Draco is starting to figure it out, no? Okay, tell me what you thought and please forgive me for my spelling mistakes!!

Also, please review! I posted two chapters at once so please review!


	29. Chapter twenty eight Amnesia

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the very long wait but I have major writer's block and I know this puny chapter will not make up for it but hopefully I will think of something. I wanted to add more to the chapter but I needed to get this thing out as soon as possible. It is also unbetaed just to let you know. 

Thanks once again to my faithful reviewers and I am sorry again.

Chapter twenty eight- Amnesia

His mind felt like a whirl of noise and confusion, and he felt as if he were falling......falling into a pit of darkness. A dull ache registered in his muddled mind and he thought of nothing. Like a big, blank void that's what his mind was; it was too pained and worn-out to register anything else. Thinking only seemed to send a fresh wave of aches through his battered brain. For an instant only, a brief flash of color flitted through his mind, a brief picture, and memory. Someone's face flashed through his mind briefly before it vanished again and he suddenly wanted to see the face again. His mind desperately reached out for any source of color or life in his reminiscence. Once again, the face flashed weakly in his mind, lingering for a bit before slowly beginning to fade away. He panicked and frantically grasped any piece of the memory he could get. He needed something........anything to focus on.

Damien finally managed to grasp the visage, concentrating on the features of the person, trying to comprehend who it was exactly, and what the person had meant to him.

It was a girl, with red hair and chocolate brown eyes that seemed to twinkle at him. She was smiling at him, teasingly, lovingly. But who was she? It drove him crazy to stare at the pretty face and not be able to understand just who this girl was. Obviously she was special to him, since he felt a strong sense of love for her.

Then, he remembered, as he continued to stare at the smiling face, the information behind her seemed to slowly bleed into his mind and he immediately drank it up. It felt as if he was dying of thirst and the spigot was only turned on enough to drip a little water on his parched tongue.....

Ginny......it was Ginny. He suddenly remembered her, everything about her, every moment they had spent together; it all seemed to come crashing down upon him so hard that he felt slightly alarmed by the sudden rush of information. Yes, he loved her, he had known her for years...

And along with her came Ron, and Hermione and then Draco and Pansy and.......his father and then Dumbledore. He could remember. He could everything, everyone. He remembered what had happened. He had been sent to Azkaban and then Voldemort had gotten him out, only to be tortured mercilessly by him. His father had tried to save him. Had he succeeded? Were they still being tortured? Were they safe?

Was he even alive?

Damien stirred slightly and a fresh wave of physical pain washed over him, causing him to gasp. Immediately, he felt someone's hands clamp onto his wrist. He jumped, trying desperately to shake off the hand as memories of being tortured by Voldemort consumed him.

They had him, they were going to hurt him, torture him, kill him. He had to get away; he had to escape. He remembered the pain.......the unbearable, excruciating, never-ending pain. It wouldn't stop. The Cruciatus and the potion......they were going to hurt him again. They were going to torture him again.

He had to get away.

Damien squirmed under the tight hold and let out a loud muffled yell of fear and pain. The hands immediately let him go and he heard someone talking.

He could hear. He could _hear_. Someone was talking to him, soothing, comforting, soft, gentle. He was okay he was safe. They weren't going to hurt him anymore; he was in Hogwarts. Damien relaxed slightly, his breathing returning back to normal as he lay still, enjoying the sensation of being free, of being _not_ in pain.

A relieved sigh escaped from his lips and he settled himself back down before allowing his mind to go blissfully blank once again.

&&&&&&&&&&

"Severus, you are going to starve to death if you don't get something to eat," Dumbledore told the kneeling man quietly as he eyed the sight before him with a slight smile.

Severus said nothing as he remained by his son's side stubbornly. "I am not going anywhere," he told the older man curtly.

Dumbledore sighed and turned away, whipping out his wand to summon a tray of sandwiches and pumpkin juice. "At least eat," he set the tray down beside the Potion's Master. "You wont be able to see him wake up if you die from not eating enough."

Severus scowled at the man, hating to admit that he was right. He grudgingly took a half of a sandwich of the tray before taking a small bite. Dumbledore smiled approvingly before finally leaving the Hospital Wing. Severus was grateful. Damien had stirred a bit yesterday morning and Severus was almost positive that he would wake up soon; he wanted to be there for Damien when he did.

Ever since he had come back from the Riddle House, he had stayed by Damien's side the whole time. Draco and Lucius were now in the Grimauld Place due to the fact that they were wanted, and the curtains around Damien's bed stayed shut so no passerby or nosey student could peek in.

The most annoying part though, in Severus's opinion, had been that of two Weasley's and a Granger who were persistently trying to find a way to sneak in the Hospital Wing at night to see Damien. According to Severus's calculations, they had tried to sneak in an approximate of at least twice a night since they had gotten wind (Draco had owled Pansy) of Damien's return. Each attempt had failed miserably and the stubborn little whelps couldn't comprehend the fact that no matter how many times they tried to come to the Hospital Wing each night, Severus was still going to be there.

Potions had been canceled for the last few days and students were gleeful. Severus would sometimes catch a bit of conversation from an injured student such as a third year Gryffindor, who had been talking to his friend about how he learned potions better when they didn't even have a class. It took all of Severus's self control, as well as a few looks from Poppy, to keep him from strangling the arrogant brat, which reminded him strongly of Sirius Black.

Thinking of Black turned his thoughts back to his son. Severus blinked out of his daze and looked back at Damien, nearly having a heart attack when he found those green eyes open and staring at him.

Severus opened his mouth to say something but found that he couldn't.

Damien looked at him blankly for a couple of minutes before saying simply, "Hello."

"Hi," Severus began uncertainly, staring into those blank eyes that didn't seem to be taking in anything that they were seeing. "Damien?"

Damien blinked and slowly looked around before returning his gaze to Severus. "You are my father aren't you?" he whispered as if embarrassed that he didn't know.

Severus felt something akin to a bomb go off inside him. He suddenly felt as if everything was crumbling. Damien didn't remember anything. The Cruciatus, though it hadn't made him insane, had caused him brain damage. _Does he remember anything?_ Severus thought helplessly and after so long of sitting by his son's bedside, hoping that the boy would recover, it all seemed so pointless now. Damien was gone. He was dead on the inside and any previous memory or personality that Damien had possessed was now lost. He suddenly wanted to leave. He mentally berated himself; he couldn't leave Damien by himself at a time like this, the boy had absolutely no idea who or where he was. It would be cruel, something that a real parent would never do.

But as he continued to stare into those blank eyes, completely devoid of Damien's usual spark of life, he couldn't help but keep the option open. "Yes," he answered finally, his voice sounding weak even to his own ears. "I am your father."

Damien blinked and looked around. "Where is this?"

"The Hospital Wing," Severus replied quickly, glancing around uneasily. He _really_ wanted to leave.

"It's very.....clean," Damien said uncertainly as he frowned in confusion at the vial of potion. "Is that medicine?" he asked innocently, staring at the common potion known as the Pepper-Up Potion.

"Yes," Severus's voice was short again, he shifted uncomfortably. "Do you know what your name is?" he asked fearfully.

"Of course I do," Damien said breezily. "I'm Harry Potter and I thought my parents were dead..........Aunt Petunia tells me so all the time." The childlike tone of voice was very obvious and Severus felt his insides turn to ice.

"How old are you, Harry?" he whispered.

"Ten, of course," Damien smiled, clearly happy that he could now answer these questions.

Severus stared at the boy in horror, feeling his heart give a twinge of pain. He suddenly couldn't take it anymore and stood up, stumbling slightly, and ignored Damien's nervous questions as he made his way out of the Hospital Wing, feeling lightheaded and dizzy.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"He doesn't seem to remember anything beyond the age of ten," Poppy sighed unhappily as she watched Damien eye the chocolate frogs that Dumbledore had brought him with awe.

Dumbledore frowned. "Did you see Severus? I thought he would be here when Damien woke up."

Damien looked up from staring wide-eyed at a picture of Armando Dippet. "Who's Damien?" he asked, biting a chocolate frog hesitantly.

Poppy and Albus stared at him for a moment. "I will explain later, Dam-I mean _Harry_." Dumbledore chuckled slightly.

"Severus wasn't here; Damien was calling for someone when I walked in," Poppy answered Dumbledore's earlier question.

"The brain damage isn't permanent is it?" Dumbledore asked nervously.

Poppy looked slightly scandalized. "Of course not, Albus!" she exclaimed. "It is his brain's way of healing itself, that is why he doesn't remember everything at first. He really does have all of his memory intact mentally but it is too much of an overload for him to remember it all at once. Don't worry, it will come back in bits."

"How long do you suppose will it take?"

"Two days at most maybe," Poppy replied nonchalantly. "He'll be fine but I still wonder where Severus is?"

"Is he that pale man with long, greasy, hair and a hooked nose?" Damien asked. Dumbledore held back a snort and Poppy threw him a glare.

"Yes, he is Harry," Poppy answered. "Was he here when he woke up?"

Damien nodded, now biting off the tip of a licorice wand. "He asked me a bunch of strange questions like what my name is and how old I was." He paused and took another bite. "He seemed awfully angry about something when he left though and he didn't even say good-bye."

Dumbledore sighed. The door creaked open hesitantly and Ginny Weasley cautiously peered in. "Damien!" she shrieked upon seeing the familiar green eyes open again. She hurried in and threw herself on him, absolutely bawling.

"Miss Weasley," Dumbledore began softly.

Damien's eyes widened and he jerked out of Ginny's grip quickly. "Excuse me, do I know you?" he asked quietly. He was sure that he'd never seen this redheaded girl before. Then again, he didn't know many older kids; especially not any cute fifteen year-old girls either. He felt affection for her though he didn't know why. She seemed familiar and when she looked back up, her brown eyes were narrowed slightly.

"Don't joke around, Damien, this really isn't the time," Ginny murmured quietly as she reached out for him again. Something was up though and she knew it. Damien would never joke around like this, she was sure of it but at that point in time, she truly didn't care, all she wanted was to do was throw her arms around him again and never let go....

Damien backed away again, looking slightly afraid.

"Damien?" Ginny asked slowly, she glanced up at her headmaster, who was looking away from the two. "Professor? W-what's wrong with Damien?"

Dumbledore regretfully turned his gaze on her again. "I'm afraid that Damien has a temporary case of amnesia. Only temporary though...."

Ginny stared at him as if he had grown another head. "Am....nesia? she whispered in a disbelieving voice.

"Only temporary," Dumbledore reminded her quickly.

"How long?"

"A couple days at the most."

Ginny swallowed and glanced back at Damien, who was now avidly chewing a Bertie Bott's jellybean. His green eyes were filled with interest as he tried to make out the taste in his mouth.

"This tastes like snow," he declared finally. "I think," he added. "It might be ice but it's almost like it tastes cold! Isn't that weird? I never knew that jellybeans had these kind of flavors!"

Damien sounded excited and Ginny couldn't help it as her heart gave a twinge. She had never seen Damien so.....innocent. This was before his uncle had started abusing him and before he had ever heard of the name, Voldemort. Briefly, Ginny wondered what Damien would have turned out like if he had retained his childlike innocence through all of this. She made a disagreeable noise in the back of her throat. No, that wouldn't work. It was impossible for Damien to _not_ loose his childlike innocence that many of their classmates still had........a little, at least. It was impossible for Damien to survive what he's been through without maturing faster then all of them and hardening. She knew that if Damien really did still have his innocence, then he would be _her_ Damien, the _real_ one but it was nice to see Damien as he would have been when he was younger, and less mature. She wondered what it would have been like for Professor Snape to raise Damien. Would the man have put up with Damien's childlike naivety? Probably. It was obvious that Snape cared about Damien only like a father could. Especially when he had gone right against Dumbledore's orders and risked his life to save Damien, which Ginny knew she would be eternally grateful for.

"What's your name?" Damien asked as he eyed a green bean with suspicion.

"Ginny," Ginny replied with a sigh but she wasn't going to leave. She wasn't going to abandon Damien even if he didn't recognize her. She would be with him until he was recovered and no one, not even the headmaster, would vouch against that.

"That's a nice name."

"Thank you."

Ginny glanced up at Dumbledore, who was watching the two of them sadly. "How old does he think he is?" she asked softly.

"Ten," Dumbledore muttered.

"So he doesn't even know of the wizarding world?" Ginny exclaimed in surprise.

Dumbledore hushed her and nodded.

Damien eyed the bean for a couple of moments before carefully nibbling it. He immediately spit it back out into his hand. "Spinach!" he exclaimed, sounding disgusted. Dumbledore chuckled softly.

"Why don't you get some rest, Damien?" he asked gently.

"Not sleepy," Damien bit on a red bean, which turned out to be fruit punch flavored.

"But you must be," Dumbledore insisted, his voice still gentle. "You have had a very trying recovery."

"But I just woke up," Damien whined.

"Damien, get to sleep," an appeasing voice said from the doorway and Severus walked in. He looked weary and tired, looking a lot older then he really was. Damien looked up at his father, a bit uncomfortable and cautious.

"That's my father," he informed them quietly. Ginny and Dumbledore nodded, Severus flinched slightly at the uncertainty in his son's voice.

"Yes, Damien, we know," Dumbledore continued in that annoying voice he only used with small children. Normally, Damien would have scoffed at the tone for being treated like a child but this Damien was a child and he merely shrugged.

"Miss Weasley, go back to your dorms," Severus commanded. The redhead shook her head stubbornly. "I'm staying here with Damien."

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," Severus sounded tired. "Now, Miss Weasley. Please go."

Ginny blinked at the second to last word but held strong. "I want to be with him when he regains his memories."

"That may not be for a couple of days, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said softly. "You need to go to classes tomorrow.

"I don't care."

"It is your fifth year, Miss Weasley and you do not want to get behind. Your OWL's are coming up in a couple of short months," Dumbledore stopped at the look she gave him.

"Now, Weasley or it will be fifty points," Severus snapped coldly, obviously wanting to be alone with his son.

"You may see him in the morning, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore continued in that serene tone.

"But-"

"No, buts Miss Weasley, now go," Dumbledore's tone was firm this time.

Ginny glared at the two and gave them a scowl that would make Voldemort proud before standing up defiantly and marching out of the Wing as if she had been sentenced to boot camp.

"Why were you mean to her?" Damien asked quietly, breaking the silence. "She was really nice to me and she wasn't hurting anyone."

"We are her teachers, Damien," Severus's tone softened as he turned to his son. "She has classes tomorrow and she needs to get to bed as do you."

"I don't have any classes tomorrow though," Damien murmured.

"You still need to get in bed."

"I am in bed," Damien grinned impishly at Severus with a look that said, 'How are you going to get out of that one?'

Severus felt a pang in his heart as he stared at the innocent eyes. How he wished that he could have raised Damien and watched him go through his different stages of life. How he wished that he could have seen Damien truly so innocent and pure. Severus swallowed.

"What's wrong?" Damien asked curiously. "Why are you sad?"

Severus shook his head and glanced at Dumbledore, who stood up. "I need to be going, Severus," Dumbledore said. "Tomorrow morning he may remember more.....we can only hope so."

Severus nodded wordlessly and Dumbledore put a hand on the other man's shoulder.

"It will be alright. _He_ will be alright," Dumbledore paused and looked hesitant as he glanced at Damien also. "He will begin to remember his first years at Hogwarts of course so do not be alarmed if he wakes up and regards you as he did when he was twelve or thirteen."

Severus shook his head slowly. "You are saying to not be alarmed if he wakes up tomorrow hating me," his voice sounded weakened. Dumbledore nodded, his expression somber.

"It will be alright," he said again. "He will remember. Just keep an open mind." With that, Dumbledore swept out of the Hospital Wing leaving Severus to his sixteen year-old son with a mental state of a ten year-old.


	30. Chapter twenty nine Being Harry Potter A...

Hey everyone! I am terribly sorry for the rather long wait but midterms, Christmas, yadda yadda.... and I am finally back into the routine of school (unfortunately).

Thanks once again to my faithful reviewers as well as my beta reader, Badbugz. This story wouldn't be as far as it is now without you guys.

On with the chapter!

Chapter twenty nine- Being Harry Potter Again

"Doesn't he remember me from yesterday though?" Severus asked quietly as he glanced back at Damien who was now surrounded by his friends and talking to them heatedly.

Poppy shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not." She sighed. "He probably gets a brief flash of a man that looked similar to you that he met when he was ten but you must remember, he only had the mind of a ten year-old for a couple hours so he wouldn't really remember much of you supposedly two years later."

Severus nodded. "I knew he was going to hate me but I would have at least thought he'd remember me from yesterday." He looked forlornly back at Damien.

"I still don't get why Snape always insists on sticking around here," Damien huffed with his arms folded as he glared at nothing in particular. Ginny glanced at Ron and Hermione and sighed softly.

"He cares about you."

Damien snorted. "Last I heard, he tried to get Ron and I expelled for coming to Hogwarts in that flying car," he grinned at Ron. "I thought we would be expelled for sure!"

Ron forced a smile. "Yeah, well…..um…..we weren't," he muttered lamely, obviously not used to Damien with a twelve year-old mind. Ginny glared at him before returning to Damien.

"Oh yeah," Damien said to Ginny. "I've been meaning to ask you. Did you get sorted into Gryffindor?"

Ginny winced but nodded as she glanced at the looming figure of Damien's father.

"You sure have grown since last year, Ginny," Damien murmured, eyeing Ginny up and down. Ginny blushed, Ron frowned, and Hermione giggled.

"I think you three should be getting to class," Severus said as he walked over to them. "Your next class starts in five minutes," he informed them.

Hermione nodded and picked up her bag. "Yes, we need to be getting to Defense, come on Ron." She gave Damien a quick hug and walked away with Ron. Ginny looked as if she wanted to hug him, but stopped at the confused look on his face. She retreated and sighed. This Damien didn't know her at all. This Damien was only twelve. After bidding goodbye, she regrettably left also.

"Would you like some lunch?" Severus offered. Damien scowled at him and sniffed. "Why are you being so nice to me Professor?" he snapped, obviously miffed. "I thought you hated me."

Severus winced but sighed. "Just eat, Dam-Harry," he said and set the tray that he had been carrying down on the table.

Damien continued to glare at him as he cautiously picked up a sandwich. He sniffed it experimentally as if convinced that it was poisoned before glancing once more at Severus and finally taking a bite. Severus's heart ached as Damien glared at him in hatred again. This was definitely going to be a long day.

Severus watched him eat and thought amusedly; _At least he hasn't looked in a mirror…_

He quickly frowned though.

He was going to hate to deny the boy seeing Black once he remembered him…

&&&&&&&&&&

"Why can't I see Sirius?" Damien asked Dumbledore. The older wizard sighed and saddened. "I've told you, Harry, he is in hiding, remember?"

Harry swallowed and bent his head. "Yeah…." He paused for a moment and frowned. "Wait a minute. I thought he was on a mission."

Dumbledore blinked. How much did Damien remember?

"Harry," he began cautiously. "How old are you?"

Damien stared at him. "I'm fifteen," he said slowly, eyeing Dumbledore as if he were mad. "Why?"

"No reason," Dumbledore said quickly. A little to quickly in Damien's opinion, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"What do you think of your new Defense teacher?" Dumbledore asked cautiously, wanting to know exactly how much Damien knew.

Damien made a face. "No offense, Professor, but she's a horrible teacher. She said that Cedric's death was a freak accident!" Dumbledore nodded slowly.

"Do you know what Occlumency is?"

Damien nodded at once. "Yeah, does it really have to be Snape that trains me? Why can't you do it? And why have you been avoiding me all year?"

Dumbledore smiled mentally. At least Damien was finally starting to regain all of his memories. "I am sorry, my boy. I have been unusually busy this year." Damien nodded in understanding though some hurt was evident in his green orbs. Dumbledore winced mentally. Had Damien really been that affected by he not talking to him?

"My first lesson is tomorrow night," Damien said miserably. Dumbledore blinked out of his daze. "I apologize, Da-Harry, but what did you say?"

"I said my first Occlumency lesson is tomorrow," Damien shivered.

Dumbledore sighed again and comforted himself with the thought that Damien would soon be himself again…..

&&&&&&&&&&&

Severus braced himself for what personality Damien would wake up with next. He really wanted this whole thing to be over. Miss Weasley along with Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger had come down at least four times a day in the past two days. Even Miss Parkinson had tried to visit Damien but she couldn't unfortunately since she didn't know of Damien's true identity and Damien would most certainly give it away. Severus had received a total of three letters in the last two days from Draco Malfoy asking of news on Damien's health. It warmed him to know that there were so many people who were waiting for Damien to recover, people who _really_ loved him.

Damien groaned and stirred slightly. Severus peered at his son's face curiously and mentally braced himself as well as the green eyes fluttered open slowly.

Damien stared at him in confusion for a moment before he said in a slurred, tired voice, "Severus?"

Severus smiled slightly. "Hello Damien."

Damien frowned. "Who? Oh yea, that's me isn't it?"

Severus nodded slowly. Damn. The boy still didn't have all of his memories back but at least he didn't hate him….

"What is the last thing you remember?" he asked gently as he helped the boy up. Damien stretched leisurely.

"I remember falling asleep in your private rooms after that horrible Occlumency lesson we had," Damien shivered and Severus blinked.

"After we made up from that fight?"

Damien looked at him oddly. "Yeah…" he said slowly and Severus nodded. Damien suddenly shot up. "What time is it!" he asked. "I need to get to my classes." He made to get out of bed but Severus held him back.

"Relax, Damien, you don't have to go to classes."

"And why not? It's not the weekend!" Damien exclaimed and Severus chuckled slightly. "Calm down. There are more important things then your grades."

Damien arched an eyebrow. "Coming from a _teacher_." Severus merely smiled at him. "Just get some rest, okay?"

Damien scowled in a perfect resemblance of his father before flinging himself back onto the pillows.

"Fine, but if I fail a class because of to many absences, I'm blaming you!"

&&&&&&&&&&

Severus looked up from his book as Damien stirred and groaned in his sleep. He carefully set the book down and stared at the face as it shifted between sleep and pain.

A stray piece of hair fell into Damien's eyes and Severus absently reached out to brush it away. At the touch of his cool hand, Damien's eyes fluttered open awkwardly, unfocussed and confused.

Damien's breathing increased rapidly and he jerked. "Dad….?" he moaned in a slurred voice. Severus immediately grabbed one hand. "I'm here, son," he whispered. Damien groaned again in pain as his breathing evened out.

The green eyes focused on Severus. "Dad," relief was evident in the voice.

"Are you alright? What do you remember? Are you in any pain?" Severus asked worriedly.

Damien shifted and sat up, an instant later; he had flung his arms around his father's neck, squeezing him tightly as if he were afraid Severus would disappear if he let go. "I was afraid I'd never see you again. I-I saw you when Voldemort was……" he trailed off and shivered in his father's arms. "I remember you holding me and telling me everything would be okay but I thought it was a dream but now I know that it wasn't and I couldn't remember you! I couldn't remember anything and I tried to but everything was so hazy and-" he rambled thoughtlessly.

Severus held the boy to him, savoring the feeling of his son in his arms that he had taken for granted before. He listened to Damien talk, merely listening to the voice, welcoming the sound he thought he'd never hear again. He felt relief wash over him like never before. Everything was going to be okay. Damien was safe; Damien was alive and well. Everything was going to be okay….

"It's okay," he interrupted the panicked murmuring. "I'm here and I swear that I will never let anything happen to you like this ever again…" he whispered, rubbing a hand up and down the boy's back.

Over his shoulder, Damien pondered on his father's statement, feeling touched by it but knowing that it was an impossible task to be completed.

&&&&&&&&&&

"This is bad."

"You've said that."

"This is very bad."

"Yes, I know."

"This-"

"Okay, okay! We get the point!"

Dumbledore chuckled softly. Damien folded his arms and scowled at the headmaster. "And just what is so amusing about this may I ask?" Severus asked coolly from the chair at his son's bedside. "Nothing, nothing Severus," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled for the first time in days. "I was merely thinking of how the two of you are so much alike."

Damien didn't know how to respond and settled on keeping the scowl planted on his face. "Will you get your head out of the clouds!" Severus snapped. "We have three supposed Death Eaters that have escaped from Azkaban, two of which who are hiding in the Order's headquarters might I remind you?" he sneered at Dumbledore's serene expression. "And we have absolutely no idea what to do with the other."

"I'm sitting right here you know," Damien spoke sharply.

"We are well aware of that," Severus said lazily. Damien bristled. "Well stop talking as if I'm not!"

"Calm down, Damien. I don't think it will help your healing process," Dumbledore sounded cheerful. He became serious. "We need to act quickly. It is only a matter of time before Voldemort makes it known that Draco and Damien are no longer in his possession. The first place they will look is here."

Severus nodded wordlessly. Damien shifted uncomfortably, an idea coming to him. He pondered on it for a moment before shaking his head. No; he didn't want to do something as extreme as _that_.

It took him a moment to realize the familiar prickling sensation in the back of his mind. With a startled gasp, he quickly occluded his mind, turning to look right into Dumbledore's clear, blue eyes but it was to late.

"What an excellent idea, Damien!" Dumbledore exclaimed cheerfully. Damien let out a growl of annoyance in the back of his throat. "Will you keep to your own mind!" he snapped irritably. Dumbledore smiled calmly. "One must learn to always be aware, Damien, even in times of peace."

"What is it, Albus?" Severus interrupted swiftly. Damien folded his arms and sat back, glaring at the old man in front of him. "I won't do it," he told the smiling face bluntly.

"We'll see about that, Damien," Dumbledore's voice was still peaceful. Damien almost cringed in disgust. How could someone manage to remain too serene?

"You can't make me."

"Make you do what?" Severus interrupted again, obviously getting miffed at being left out of the conversation.

"I can't make you but your father can," Dumbledore's smile widened. "Which I'm sure he will. It is the only choice we have and the only way to keep you safe."

"Why can't I just go into hiding like Draco and Mr. Malfoy?" Damien asked wearily.

"You know you can't, Damien. Your schooling is far more important than that of the young Mr. Malfoy's and you know why," Dumbledore responded sternly.

"Would either of you care to inform of _what_ you are talking about?" Severus growled irritably. Damien sneered at the headmaster and remained silent.

"Well, Damien here came up with the idea of recasting the glamour over himself to look like Harry Potter once again and 'coming out of training,'" Dumbledore smiled. "I'm rather surprised I didn't think of it myself…."

"I did not want to do that!" Damien snapped, his eyes flashing. "It just crossed my mind and I wasn't going to say anything until _you_ invaded my privacy…….._again._"

"Wait a minute," Severus spoke up. "When I first found out that Damien was my son, you told me that there was no possible way to recast the charms."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Ah, yes, and now look at the two of you. Why, if we had recast the charms then you two wouldn't be where you are now."

"So we could have just recast the charms to begin with?" Severus asked through clenched teeth. "Why did you lie to me?"

"Now, Severus," Dumbledore tried to reason. "You know as well as I do that had I told you the truth then you would have suggested recasting the charms of Damien instantly and then you two would still hate each other." His expression softened. "I did what I what I had to and it turned out to be the best thing that's happened to the two of you."

Severus scowled. "You should have been a Slytherin." Dumbledore chuckled. "So I've been told."

Damien was watching the two of them silently.

Dumbledore turned back to Damien. "I am sorry for invading your privacy, Damien, but I knew that you were thinking of something." He smiled again. "But undoubtedly to stubborn to say anything."

"That's because I didn't want to," Damien grumbled, his arms still folded in a carbon copy of his father.

"Why Damien?" Severus asked softly. "You need to be safe and if this is the only way…."

"But I don't want to be Harry Potter anymore," Damien muttered quietly. He looked into his father's eyes. "I want to be your son."

Severus's gaze softened considerably. Dumbledore cleared his throat and spoke carefully, "Sometimes, we have to make sacrifices to protect ourselves and the ones we love….even if those sacrifices are hard." Damien lowered his head in resignation.

"Then where will I….er…Damien Snape be?" he asked quietly.

"As far as the wizarding world knows, with Voldemort," Dumbledore answered immediately. "And as far as the Dark Lord knows, in hiding somewhere," Severus added.

Damien looked up. "Won't Voldemort be suspicious of Harry Potter just popping back up?"

"Maybe," Dumbledore said slowly, pondering on this. "It is a possibility……and a risk that we will have to take." He turned his wizened gaze to the boy in front of him. "We need to keep you safe."

"I know," Damien muttered. "Without me, Voldemort wins. I'm the only one who can defeat him."

"Do you honestly think that is the only reason why we want to keep you safe?" his father asked incredulously. He grasped both of Damien's shoulders firmly, gently forcing the boy to look at him.

"You are my son, Damien and…" he swallowed and continued almost cautiously. "..and…and I love you."

Damien stared at him in shock. Sure he had always _known_ but his father had never actually spoken those three words out loud. The only other people he had heard it from was Ginny and Hermione, but their declarations had been for, in Ginny's case, a passionate kind of love, one between that of a husband and a wife, and, in Hermione's case, a love between two friends, like the love a brother and a sister felt for one another. Both had been a different love then his father felt for him. It was a _paternal _love, one that he knew that someone was looking out for him, that there was someone out there who would protect him and comfort him in a way that Ginny and his other friends never could.

"I….I love you too, Dad," he spoke unsurely, as if afraid that his father would sneer at him for such sentiments. Severus smiled, a true, genuine smile. One that Damien rarely saw on his father's face.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I wish I had a camera."

"Oh, bugger off," Damien muttered and the old man chuckled.

"I just want what's best for you," Severus said, pointedly ignoring Dumbledore. "I want you to be safe."

Damien looked at the ground and started slightly when he felt a hand gently forcing his head up to meet his father's eyes once again.

"Please, Damien."

Damien stared at the begging expression on his father's face and let out a breath he hadn't known that he'd been holding.

"Fine."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Harry! It's so good to see you!" Hermione flew at him, catching him in a bear hug as she nearly squeezed the life out of him. Damien, or Harry again, grinned and embraced her tightly also, taking caution to play the part.

Ron gripped his shoulder briefly. "Good to see you again, mate!"

"How was your training, Harry?" Neville Longbottom asked nervously. Harry shrugged one shoulder. "Hard," his tone suggesting that the subject should be dropped.

"I bet you're some kind of super-wizard or something now," Dean Thomas winked at Harry. "Gonna kick Draco Malfoy's ass now?"

"Or maybe you could just do us all a favor and turn him into a nice, white ferret permanently?" Seamus Finnagan suggested cheerfully and they erupted into laughter.

Justin Finch-Fletchley nodded. "The ferret finally got the guts to actually go groveling to You-Know-Who."

"Yeah," Collin Creevy piped up. "The Dark Mark was found on his forearm along with that git, Damien Snape."

"Just be glad you didn't come early enough to meet him," Dean went on. "Woo! That kid was messed up! He appeared to have his houses confused and seemed to think he should act like a Gryffindor!"

Harry's eyes clouded slightly and the atmosphere cooled a little. "Yeah….um…have they caught Malfoy or Snape yet? I didn't get the Dailey Prophet."

Seamus shook his head solemnly. "Not yet, mate. But it's only a matter of time before the Ministry catches them." He smirked. "I always knew that Snape was a Death Eater but Snape jr. didn't seem to have enough guts to be one." His smirk turned to a sneer. "I don't get why they don't just lock up Snape as well before he takes his wand out and blasts us all."

"He wouldn't do it under Dumbledore's nose," Justin reasoned. "You know Dumbledore would kill him if he did."

"Let's not get our hopes up though," came another voice from behind Harry but he didn't turn to see who it was as everyone, save a few, chuckled at the comment.

Harry grit his teeth and furiously clenched his right fist. _Calm, just be calm…_he told himself as he focused on staring straight ahead.

Dean grasped his shoulder briefly like Ron had. "I got bad news though, mate," he sounded angry. "Snape jr. got to Ginny before you could, you know."

Harry blushed furiously, seeing red in his vision. He wanted nothing more then to turn around and curse every single person (bar Ron and Hermione) that was now crowded around him…….except maybe Neville, who had remained silent after his careful question.

"Oh darn," he spoke calmly, though his voice dripped with sarcasm. He pulled himself out of the crowd around the Gryffindor table and strode out of the Great Hall quickly, never even looking up at the calls that rang out to him from his classmates.

Harry burst out of the Hall-and immediately ran into his father…….or _Snape_ now. He glanced up at the man and cleared his throat nervously, giving a meek, "Sorry Professor," as he watched the man guardedly.

Snape sneered at him. "Five points from Gryffindor for purposefully running into a professor!" he snapped and Harry inwardly winced.

"I didn't purposely run into you!" Harry yelled furiously after his retreating back as he spotted Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil watching them curiously from the staircase.

Snape froze and slowly turned back to him. "That will be ten more points for talking back to a teacher," he said calmly, glaring at the two girls on the staircase. "Next time you make a pathetic attempt such as this one to show off I suggest you _try_ to control the urge."

Harry seethed outwardly as the man strode away while Parvati gushed about how powerful he must be now. Inwardly, he snorted.

_Oh this is going to be fun._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"_Tell me, Wormtail," a cold voice demanded as long, pale fingers trailed the front page of a newspaper. "Why is it that Harry Potter and Damien Snape have never been at Hogwarts at the same time?"_

_The front page read, _Harry Potter Comes Out of Hiding at Last!

_The smaller man shuddered from his place on the floor beside a large chair that was perched in front of a roaring fire. "I d-don't know, my Lord," his voice shook with terror and the man in the chair seemed to take both pleasure and annoyance in that. _

"_You truly are pathetic!" he hissed quietly, as if it were a common thing to be said. The smaller man flinched and murmured nonsense to himself. The other ignored him. _

"_Then tell me this, Wormtail, where is Damien Snape? Or can your miniscule brain not put two and two together like a child could?" the man in the chair spat._

_The smaller form shivered. "In hiding, my Lord?" he asked cautiously. The caution quickly morphed into fear. _

"_Crucio," the curse was issued so carelessly and the smaller man known as Wormtail let out a shrill wail as he squirmed piteously on the floor. After a couple minutes, the screams faded away as Wormtail lost his voice and the man in the chair chuckled darkly before lifted the curse._

"_Can you not answer a question as simple as this right?" he sneered. "I don't even understand why I tolerate your presence. You are not smart, you are a coward, and you posses no specialty or any strong magic whatsoever."_

_Wormtail shifted uncomfortably, trying desperately not to think about the Wizard's Debt he owed to one Harry Potter. If his master occluded his mind and found that information, he'd be dead where he stood. He already was on bad terms with the Dark Lord compared to all the other Death Eaters, he knew he was by far the worst one but he didn't have anywhere else to go. Dumbledore wouldn't accept him that was for sure and he was dead to the Wizarding World._

"_You really don't understand do you?" Voldemort sneered at his shaking form. "Damien Snape _is_ Harry Potter. Did you not see the way Damien reacted when I was close to him? By the time Damien Snape was introduced, Harry Potter had already gone into his 'training' and by the time Harry Potter comes out of his training, Damien Snape is supposedly in hiding." He paused for a moment and rose from the chair, pacing furiously. "How could I have not have seen it before?" he growled, angry with himself. "Only a fool wouldn't be able to make this discovery." He smirked. "And it appears that nearly the whole of the Wizarding World are fools."_

_Wormtail thought on this information. Did that mean that Harry was really Snape's son? Or was it just an act? He thought back to his school days and remembered Lily Evans. She had been in love with James that was for sure; at least by their seventh year that is but before that, in their sixth year Lily had befriended Snape. He blanched, but would she really sleep with him? The thought made him gag and he instead decided on thinking about how they could use this to their advantage._

"_Perhaps, my Lord," he began fearfully, shrinking back when his master focused those red eyes on him. "Maybe…..maybe it would be to our advantage if w-we informed the M-ministry about this l-little discovery…." He trailed off, bracing himself for another Cruciatus. It didn't come._

_Voldemort frowned on that information and pondered. "It would be," he admitted thoughtfully. "Damien Snape did break out of Azkaban and is labeled as a Death Eater," he smirked ruthlessly. "And he is now on the Most Wanted List, or so I've heard." A chuckle. "What irony; the Wizarding World is going to help me destroy their savior." _

A/N- Okay, so that's done. What do ya think?

Tell me please!


	31. Chapter thirty It Begins

Hey everyone! Once again I'm terribly sorry for the very long wait. I know how really annoying that can be but schools been horrible, my grandfather's been in the hospital, and was blocked for a while on my computer (or the computer at the library).

Thanks to my reviewers, you don't know how much they inspire me to wright more, and, of course, thanks to my wonderful beta reader, Badbugz.

**opal-** no, the glamour does not hide Harry's mark but he wears long sleeved shirts and robes to cover it up.

Okay, The Secret is going to be ending soon, I don't know how many more chapters there are going to be. I've got a lot of good ideas for a sequel but I don't think I'm going to be able to get it done before the sixth book comes out. So, should I make a sequel?

Chapter thirty- It Begins...

Valentine's day was coming up. It fell on a Sunday that, conveniently enough, was on a Hogsmeade weekend. So it was Saturday that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were found bundling up, due to the most recent snowfall, and lining up with their other classmates in the Entrance Hall as Professor McGonagall and Filch checked them off.

"I want to do something special for Ginny," Harry told them as they made their way through the almost knee-high snow.

Hermione frowned. "You know that's going to be hard, considering that she's with 'Damien Snape,'" she glanced at Harry. "Maybe you should just get her something special. I'm sure she'd love that."

"Get her some Chocolate Frogs," Ron told him smugly. Harry and Hermione stared at him. "What?" he asked defensively. "Everyone likes Chocolate Frogs and Valentines Day is supposed to be about chocolate."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron! Valentines Day is not about chocolate! It's about expressing how much you care for someone and you are supposed to get them something special, something that comes right from the heart." She threw him a sidelong look. "Chocolate Frogs do not come from the heart and it's a terrible gift to give someone special to you on Valentines Day!"

Ron flushed. "Guess I'll have to get her something else," he muttered so only Harry could hear. Harry chuckled as they approached the Three Broomsticks.

"There really is nowhere to buy anything special, though, is there?" Harry asked. "At least not here." Ron looked uncomfortable.

"You two never use your eyes do you?" Hermione huffed as each of them ordered a butterbeer. "Zonko's, Honeydukes, and the Three Broomsticks are not the only shops around here. There are dozens more. You two just never want to look anywhere else except for Zonko's and Honeydukes."

"I never thought we were allowed to wander that far," Ron murmured as they sat down at a table by a window, butterbeers in hand. "I don't see students go down that far."

"Well you wouldn't now would you?" Hermione sipped her butterbeer. "The only shops students are interested in are candy and joke shops. No one really has any use for the other ones unless they need to buy a gift for someone." She took another sip. "The merchandise in the other shops is pretty expensive."

"Let's try them next then," Harry spoke up quietly. His mind wandered slightly as he pondered on the dream he had had a couple weeks ago. He knew it was Voldemort-related, because he had woken up with his scar burning, but he couldn't remember what it was about. Whenever he tried, his head just pounded more. Harry sighed, hoping that it wasn't too important, but knowing that the hope was futile.

There was the familiar 'ding' of a bell, telling them that yet another person had entered and Harry glanced over, only to duck out of sight two seconds later as Rita Skeeter and Cornelius Fudge walked in along with a couple other wizards in ministry robes.

Hermione and Ron scooted their seats over until they were properly blocked from view by a short sign informing the customers of the day's special.

The minister's group settled themselves in a table close to Harry, Ron, and Hermione's, and huddled together, talking in low voices and not even bothering to order a drink.

Hermione scooted her chair a tiny bit closer and Harry also moved closer.

"What are they talking about that's so important?" Hermione whispered, eyeing the hated minister.

"I don't know," Ron whispered back. "But I'm going to find out." He then fished out three flesh-colored cords from his pocket. Hermione gasped.

"You still have those!"

"Yeah," Ron grinned. "Fred and George sent me a couple for Christmas." He handed an Extendable Ear to Harry and Hermione before putting one in his own ear.

"….sent me a letter just last night," Rita was saying, her eyes alight with excitement, "wishes to remain anonymous."

"Now, hold on a minute," Fudge held up a hand. "How do we know that this person isn't just trying to-"

"We don't," Rita interrupted impatiently, "but that's just the thing! Think about it, Minister! All the facts in the letter make perfect sense."

One of the other ministry wizards nodded in agreement.

Fudge frowned and was silent for a moment. "If this is true," he said slowly, "then we must inform the Wizarding World immediately."

Another wizard nodded. "Yes, Minister. Children's lives are at stake here."

"Then it's settled," Fudge agreed.

Rita smiled deviously. "This is going to be our best issue yet!"

They stood up as one and exited the bar in a flurry of snowflakes.

Harry sat up in his chair again and looked questioningly at his two friends. "What was that all about?"

Hermione shook her head as Ron tucked the Extendable Ears away again.

"We'll probably find out soon knowing Rita Skeeter," Ron muttered before turning to Hermione. "Why couldn't you just keep her in that jar forever?" he asked dryly.

Hermione sighed as they stood up and also exited the Three Broomsticks.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Harry stretched as he slowly opened his eyes, feeling rather more rested than he usually should in the mornings. He frowned at the sunlight that was pouring cheerfully into the dormitory. He sat up, putting on his glasses to notice that he was the only one in the dorm.

'I would have at least thought that Ron would wake me up,' he thought tartly as he made his way to the bathroom. He glanced hesitantly at the mirror, frowning at the reflection. He remembered briefly when he would have given anything to see this face in the mirror a couple months ago…….

Now, it just felt so abnormal. Harry avoided the reflection as he dressed himself and ran a hand through his once again unruly hair. It took Harry a minute to remember that it was Valentine's Day, but he still couldn't help but feel a little irritated that Ron didn't wake him up.

Harry hurried down the to the common room, finding it empty too. He frowned again, there should be at least a couple of people in the common room; it was never empty except during the Welcoming and Leaving Feasts. He opened the portrait only to run almost headfirst into Ron and Hermione, who were opening it on the other side.

"What-" Harry began, but his two friends grasped his arms and pulled him back into the common room, forcing him into a chair.

"What are you doing?" Harry snapped, as they released him. "Why didn't you wake me up? Where is everyone?" He glared at both of them.

"You really don't want to go out there, Harry," Hermione said quietly, looking slightly nervous.

"Why not?" Harry folded his arms, looking from Ron to Hermione. "What's going on?"

"Er…" Ron glanced uneasily at Hermione. "Here, mate, read it." He held out the Daily Prophet.

Harry stared at it for a moment before taking it with a rising feeling of trepidation. He unfolded it and read the front page:

**The Boy-Who-Lived a Death Eater!**

_A continuous war has been going on between You-Know-Who and the rest of wizardkind (writes reporter, Rita Skeeters). One alliance that has filled people's hearts with hope is that of the Boy-Who-Lived, who has defied the Dark Lord four times, more then any other wizard, except for Albus Dumbledore, has managed. But has anyone ever wondered why the Boy-Who-Lived has always escaped unscathed? Could it be that he is the one destined to defeat him? Or could it be the well-known factor that the boy is a parseltongue? The ability of a parselmouth, which this reporter is sure everyone is well aware of, has always been a mark of a dark wizard, yet the whole of the wizarding world continues to blindly believe that this boy is still for the light. We have recently received news from a loyal citizen that wishes to remain anonymous that Harry Potter does indeed have the dark mark on his left forearm. Not only that, but the belief has been going around that Harry Potter is indeed not a Potter, but a Snape. Damien Snape was recently labeled as a Death Eater in training when the Dark Mark was found on his forearm and was sentenced to Azkaban. He, along with Draco Malfoy, were the only two who escaped out of Azkaban when the Death Eaters attacked it a couple weeks ago. Snape and Malfoy's whereabouts are still undetermined. The recent claim that Harry Potter is in fact Damien Snape has been taken into account, due to the similarities in the boys' ages and due to the timing of Damien Snape's arrival at Hogwarts and Harry Potter's leave. Why has Harry Potter suddenly returned after Damien Snape's escape from Azkaban? Minister Fudge has assured the press that these claims will indeed be investigated and for the time being, let us hope that our savor hasn't turned his back to the wizarding world._

Harry felt his fingers go numb as the paper floated soundlessly to the ground. He felt as if his insides had turned to ice. He was numbly aware of Ron and Hermione talking quietly to him. He blinked, not comprehending what either of them were saying.

"H-How is everyone taking it?" he whispered, interrupting them.

"Well," Hermione looked uncomfortable. "We walked in and Neville sort of forced the paper into our faces and then we came here."

Harry swallowed the rising lump in his throat as he picked up the paper and scanned it again. "._.these claims will indeed be investigated_"? he read and glanced at his two friends. "Does that mean he's going to come here!"

Hermione shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I-I don't know."

"How did they see the mark?" Harry whispered, his eyes automatically flying to the mark onhis left forearm, which was covered by the sleeves of his robes. "I haven't worn anything but long sleeved robes; there is no way they could have seen it!"

They said nothing.

The portrait opened and Harry jumped in surprise, his hand automatically flying to his wand. Ginny hurried in and shut the portrait securely before turning to look at them, her face pale.

Harry let out a breath that he hadn't known he had been holding as relief spread through his veins.

"Ginny?" he asked quietly, feeling contented at the sight of her. He really hadn't seen her for a while.

Ginny walked over to him and hesitated, before throwing her arms around him. "H-How did they know?" she asked in a loud whisper before drawing back and staring him in the eyes. "Who told them? How did they-"

"Ginny, relax and breathe!" Ron ordered as he gripped her shoulders and gave her a small shake.

Her face immediately morphed into one of rage and Ron paled, snatching his hands away as if he'd been scalded. Even Harry backed up a little as her face reddened.

"Relax!" she exclaimed as if it was the most aberrant thing in the world. "You want me to relax when the wizarding world has just found out that Harry is really Damien Snape! Or did you forget that Damien Snape is labeled as a Death Eater? Or maybe you didn't bother reading the rest of the article to find out that the ministry is going to check Harry for the dark mark which, by the way, is burned into his forearm!"

It all seemed to hit Harry with full force then and he suddenly felt as if his legs had turned to lead as he dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach and letting out a nauseated groan.

"I really don't feel so good all of the sudden," he croaked, imagining that his face was also turning white.

Ginny and Hermione dropped down on either side of him and both put a hand on his back reassuringly.

"It'll be okay," Hermione told him softly. "We'll get through this, we always do."

"Yeah," Ginny agreed, her mouth curving into a weak smile. "And you know that Dumbledore would never let anything happen to his dear 'golden boy.'"

Harry wanted to believe the two of them, but a voice kept constantly ringing out in the back of his mind that nothing ever went right for him and that this was no different.

"If that was true," he told the two girls a bit more crossly then he meant to, "then why did Dumbledore let them take me to Azkaban and, better yet, why was he against trying to save me from Voldemort?"

Hermione sighed. "Harry, he couldn't risk it; you know that. It all turned out alright in the end; it always does."

"Yes," Harry snapped, feeling rather angry all of the sudden. "Everything does turn out 'alright' in the end besides that fact that someone is usually dead!"

Ginny and Hermione jumped at his sudden exclamation. They exchanged uneasy glances with Ron, and Ginny turned back to him.

"Look Harry, you need to stop looking at the negative side of things…" Whatever else she was about to say was abruptly cut off as the portrait practically flew open.

Harry, nausea suddenly gone, dove behind the couch, but not fast enough to escape the sight of the three intruders.

"Professor Snape, Dumbledore, Lupin," Hermione looked at them uncertainly, "what a pleasant surprise…"

"Hush, you stupid girl," Severus growled as he filed past her. Harry stood up, looking at the three professors in confusion.

"Dad?" he asked faintly. It was Dumbledore who answered him.

"Harry, we need to be quick about this. I am sure you have read the latest article in the Daily Prophet due to your absence from breakfast," Dumbledore paused as he looked at Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Weasley, Miss Granger, you all need to return to breakfast," he told them gently, but firmly.

"But-" Ginny began and Severus cut her off.

"Now, Weasley," he looked in a very sour mood this morning, though no one could blame him for once.

"You may raise suspicion from your rather abrupt exit at breakfast," Dumbledore told them. "We can't risk any suspicion that anyone here at Hogwarts besides Severus knew that Harry is really Damien."

They hesitated before nodding in almost perfect unison.

"Okay," Hermione said uncertainly as she glanced at Harry. "We'll see you later…..I hope."

Ginny and Ron nodded also before they turned to leave. Ginny lingered for a moment as she threw Harry a meaningful look before she left as well.

"Alright," Dumbledore turned back to him again, his blue eyes devoid of any twinkle. "As I said, we need to be quick about this. I do not have any doubts that Fudge wants to get this investigation of you, Harry, over as soon as possible, which, unfortunately, could mean in a couple of minutes at the least."

Harry drew in a sharp breath, his heart skipped a beat and his eyes darted to the nearest exit, as if expecting Fudge to suddenly storm through the door. He would then go to Azkaban…with the dementors…..his mother's screams, Cedric and Sirius's death, Vernon beating him, Voldemort torturing him….

Harry felt a shiver trail up his spine. He didn't know if he had the strength to stay sane if he was sentenced to Azkaban again. Dumbledore seemed to sense that, apparently, as he quickly went on.

"We need to get you out of here as soon as we can. If they see the dark mark on your forearm, you will be sentenced to Azkaban most certainly at the very least," Dumbledore shook his head in dismay.

Severus seemed to take it upon himself to voice the question that had been running through Harry's mind. "And at the very most, Albus?"

Dumbledore paused, staring at Severus and Harry for a moment before sighing and murmuring in a dejected voice, "The dementor's kiss."

Harry stumbled slightly as he remembered Barty Crouch's soulless body in the Hospital Wing during his fourth year. His eyes had been so blank; there hadn't been any life there at all. He started as he felt a hand weigh upon his shoulder and didn't need to look up to know that it was his father.

"We will get you out of here, Damien," Severus told him firmly. "I swear to you. One way or another."

Harry swallowed and nodded his thanks as he refocused his attention back to Dumbledore, who had been waiting patiently.

"Severus and Remus will escort you to Hogsmeade, where you will be able to floo to the Grimmauld Place. We will take it from there," Dumbledore explained heavily. "It isn't a very fail-safe plan, but it is the best we have as of now."

Harry nodded and saw Remus do the same out of the corner of his eye. He felt a small pang in his heart as he stared silently at the werewolf, feeling rather guilty for barely talking to Remus all year. He had been to preoccupied with the discovery of his father and Ginny and Draco and Voldemort….he really hadn't even thought much of Remus, not even during DADA. His guilt seemed to multiply ten times as he thought of how pained Remus must be from Sirius's death, and Harry hadn't even given him the time of day all year long…

It took Harry a minute to realize that Remus was staring at him. He turned and their eyes connect, and Remus seemed to understand the guilt he was feeling.

"It's alright," Remus told him, walking over to put a hand on his shoulder.

Harry shook his head. "No, it's not…"

"You've had a lot to deal with this year, what with be sorted into Slytherin and keeping up your profile," Remus smiled weakly. "And you had a father to get used to."

Harry lowered his head. "About that-"

"I'm very happy for you, Harry," Remus interrupted gently, causing Harry to look up. "And Sirius would be to, even if he thinks your father is a bit of a git." He threw Severus a sidelong glance, who sneered.

Harry smiled slightly. "Thanks."

"Now," Dumbledore went on, clasping his hands together. "You two need to avoid the Great Hall as well as the Entrance Hall at all costs."

"But-" Harry thought about the secret passageway that lead to Honeyduke's cellar.

"You do not need to go near that, Harry," Dumbledore told him, much to the confusion of Severus. "You will, undoubtedly, be wanted now, especially if you ran away from Hogwarts to avoid being checked for the dark mark. You need to avoid crowded places, such as Honeydukes."

"How did you know?" Harry squawked, looking appalled. Remus snorted softly and Harry whirled around, glaring at him. "You told him, didn't you?"

Remus shrugged. "In your third year, when I thought Sirius was still guilty, I had to tell Dumbledore where all the secret passageways on the Marauder's Map were."

Harry scowled at him. "Goody-goody," he sneered. He felt confused when his heart didn't give out a rather noticeable twinge at the mention of Sirius. In fact, he hadn't really mourned much about Sirius for a long time…. Harry shook his head and dismissed it as another thought occurred to him.

"Why can't we use Hogwart's floo? And if I need to stay out of sight then why are we going to Hogsmeade?"

"The ministry cut Hogwart's off the floo system early this morning before the paper came out," Dumbledore explained. "And you, Remus, and Severus will be traveling on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, to the Hog's Head, where not many customers are."

Harry glanced at his father with a feeling of trepidation. Severus nodded to him, as if mentally reassuring Harry that he was there.

"Do you understand, Harry?" Dumbledore's voice rang through his ears. Harry hesitated, staring at his hands for a moment before giving a small nod.

"Yes, sir."

&&&&&&&&&&

"Hush you stupid werewolf!"

"You're the one being so loud, Severus!"

"Will you both shut up!" Harry snapped as they made their way down the stone steps. His father turned to glare at him but said nothing.

The three of them were currently making their way out of the castle by the most unnoticeable way possible. They were using the outside corridors, which were rarely used during the winter.

Harry shivered, pulling the Invisibility Cloak around them tighter as the wind picked up. Snow was falling silently onto the frozen ground below. As they reached the bottom floor, Harry couldn't help but think that it was harder to hide two adults and a teenager under the cloak instead of four teenagers, as he had once attempted. What made it so hard was that his father and Remus seemed to be going different speeds, with Harry stuck in the middle, and he felt as if he were being pulled in two directions.

"Not so fast, Severus!" Remus growled as the cloak started to uncover him. He grabbed it and snatched it back to his side, nearly tearing it in the process.

"You've got plenty of cloak, Lupin!" Severus hissed back as he yanked the silky cloth toward him.

"Stop it, you two, you're going to tear it," Harry said angrily, grabbing the cloak with both hands in order to even it out. "There, now you both are covered."

"Well if Lupin wouldn't go so slow-" Severus began.

"Dad, please," Harry murmured. "Would you two stop acting like children, at least until we get out of the castle?"

The two men fell into silence after that. Harry sighed in relief and held the cloak tighter. As they neared the grounds, the sound of chatter from the Great Hall could be heard clearly. Harry winced and almost stopped breathing as he spotted Fudge marching up to the teacher's table. He heard his father curse softly from behind him.

"We need to hurry," Severus said quietly, eyeing the minister with ill-concealed hatred. They quickened their pace.

"Won't they notice your absence, Remus?" Harry asked nervously. "They'll know you had some connection with me."

The werewolf shook his head. "No," he muttered bitterly, "as far as they know, I am currently in my office, preparing for the upcoming full moon."

"It's tonight?"

"Yes, unfortunately," Remus whispered. Harry gave him a meaningful look before his father pushed him forward.

"Don't stop," the man told him.

"I know," Harry growled back as he stared at the nearing Dark Forest. As they entered the outskirts, Harry gratefully shoved the cloak off, feeling cold air wash over him.

"Here," Remus said gruffly, flinging his cloak over Harry.

"Thanks," he muttered, smiling at him.

A sudden commotion broke out from behind them. Harry turned around to see ministry wizards, aurors, and teachers all flooding out of the Great Hall.

"Time to go," Severus said quickly, grabbing Harry and shoving the cloak in his hands. "Go," he told him.

Harry blinked. "What?"

"You heard me, Damien, go," Severus told him firmly. "I'll hold them off. Go to the Hog's Head and floo to headquarters. Draco and Lucius will be there…"

"No!" Harry yelled. "They'll kill you!"

"No, they won't."

"Then do you want to go to Azkaban?"

"Do you?"

Harry shook his head furiously. "I'm not leaving you-"

"Go, Harry!" Severus snapped, using Harry's first name. "Now!"

"But-" he was abruptly cut off as Remus grabbed his arm and started to pull him deeper into the forest, down the path toward Hogsmeade.

"No!" Harry shouted desperately, kicking against the werewolf. "Let me go, Remus! I'm not leaving him!"

"Harry, we need to go," Remus tightened his hold and pulled him with more force. Harry stumbled.

"I'm not going to loose another father!" Harry yelled frantically. "I'm not!"

But Severus had already drawn his wand and was approaching the edge of the forest; he was going back in the direction of Hogwarts. "Take care of him, Lupin," he told the werewolf. "If anything happens to him, I will personally kill you."

"No!" Harry screamed, yanking with all his might against Remus's vice like grip. "Let me go! Dad! Don't leave me, please!"

Severus looked back at him. "Go, Damien," he whispered. "We will see each other again, I swear."

Harry froze, which allowed Remus to pull him towards Hogsmeade. His father's face faded until they were to far away to see him. Harry dropped to his knees, feeling the beginnings of a panic attack.

"Harry!" Remus crouched next to him, grabbing both shoulders and giving him a small shake. "Harry, listen to me. Severus knows what he is doing, all right? He is a very powerful wizard, he can take care of himself."

"He's going to die," Harry whispered in a small voice. "And it's all because of me…"

"Harry!" Remus snapped forcefully. Harry blinked and looked up at him. "We have to keep going. He would want you to, Harry. He loves you."

Harry stared at him for a moment. A loud bang sounded, not to far away. He stood up and tried to run toward the sound. Remus grabbed his arms, holding him back.

"Dad!" Harry yelled, then to Remus. "LET ME GO!"

"Severus is right," Remus mumbled. "You do have to get over this hero tendency." His tone was slightly amused and Harry knew the man was trying to cheer him up.

"How can you say that?" he snapped, seeing red in his vision. "He could be dead right now and it's because you wouldn't let me go!"

Remus flinched and sighed. "Do you honestly think it would've helped Severus had you been there, Harry? You would just be in the ministry's custody, which would only cause him more pain." He paused and continued to drag Harry in the direction of Hogsmeade. "You underestimate how Severus can be. He went to Voldemort even when the monster knew he was a spy and escaped with you."

Harry ignored him and continued to struggle. He landed a flailing kick in the werewolf's stomach. Remus hissed in pain, his grip weakening and Harry took that opportunity to break free.

"Wait!" Harry heard Remus gasp. His heart was pounding in his ears as he forced his exhausted legs to run. A moment later he heard a soft, "Immobulus!" and fell unceremoniously to the ground as he felt invisible cords wrap around him.

Harry let out a yell of fury as he struggled vainly against the tight bounds. Remus turned him over. "Please, just follow me. I don't want to do this to you, Harry." Harry narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

Remus sighed and waved his wand, freeing only Harry's legs. Gently, the werewolf helped him off the ground but kept a tight grip on his shoulders to keep him from running again.

Harry felt fury building up in him at each step he took towards Hogsmeade, away from his father. How could Remus do this? Did Remus want his father to die? Did Remus want him to be alone again? He felt his vision blur with anger and concentrated on taking in one breath after another.

Hogsmeade was abandoned when Remus and Harry approached it and Harry actually felt his anger melt into curiosity. Hogsmeade was never abandoned. Where were all the cheerful people? It was Valentine's Day; it should be more crowded then before. But they didn't see another living person. The only movement in the abandoned village, besides them, came from the wind that was blowing gently, stirring snowflakes up from their resting point on the ground.

Remus tightened his hold on Harry, his amber eyes scanning the abandoned streets. Harry glanced through the windows of some shops and thought he saw a couple of people, but when he looked again, they were gone.

"What the hell…" Remus whispered, his eyes darting around frantically.

"Remus? What's going on?"

Remus opened his mouth to respond but was abruptly cut off as a loud "Crucio!" broke the eerie silence. Remus's eyes widened as he immediately shoved Harry to the ground, the curse just barely missing them.

A moment later, the empty street was filled with black-clad figures with white masks. Harry felt his heart skip a beat. Why hadn't his scar burned?

Remus muttered a quick, "Finite Incantantem," and yanked the now unbound Harry off the ground. "Wand out!" he shouted. Harry didn't need to be told twice.

"Idiot! You should have waited for my orders!" a shrill voice rang out. Harry recognized it immediately: Bellatrix Lestrange.

Remus shoved Harry behind him, pointing his wand at her. There were about seven Death Eaters, all forming a wall in front of them; there was no escape.

"Harry," Remus hissed quietly. "Go!"

"You're not going anywhere, traitor!" Lestrange purred, her eyes glittering insanely from behind the mask. "Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater and your Lord wants to see you, Potter!"

Remus shoved Harry in the opposite direction of the Death Eaters. "Run!"

"Crucio!" five voices shouted at the same time. Harry let out a yell as they all connected on Remus, who fell to the ground, screaming.

Remus's screams rang through Harry's ears and he felt raw hatred rise up inside of him.

Lestrange lifted the curse and signaled for the others to do so as well. "Give up, Potter. You are one of us now!"

"Go….Harry.." Remus whispered in a raspy voice. Harry stared at him for a moment before turning and race in the direction of the Three Broomsticks; he had to get them away from Remus.

Several voices rang out different curses but Harry didn't look back to see, nor did his brain register what exactly the curses were. He kept running, his legs ached, his lungs burned….

Distantly, he heard a loud "Imperio!" sound above the other curses. Harry fell to the ground and saw the curse shoot over him. Unfortunately, he had ducked into a Cruciatus.

The curse, he numbly thought, hurt much more then he had remembered. It brought the memories of his torture from Voldemort, making it sear through his skin a hundred times worse. A ragged scream burst from his lips, as he felt hot knives stabbing into him over and over again. His vision tunneled, his brain fogged and finally, miraculously, the pain stopped.

Harry crumpled on the ground, panting, his throat aching from the screams. His eyes were blank with memory and suddenly, he was back in the Riddle House, alone, with Voldemort. He was cold, though his body was numb, and he could feel aches rippling through him each breath he took.

"Harry!" Remus's warm eyes met Harry's and his vision cleared, his brain slowly catching up to his eyes.

"R-Remus?" he whispered, surprised on both accounts that he could talk and how raspy his voice sounded. "W-What happened?"

Remus smiled earnestly at him and gently helped him up. Harry rubbed his eyes and stared at the now crowded town. The aurors from Hogwarts were there, fighting with Death Eaters, and Harry noted with relief that the aurors outnumbered them easily. He could already see three Death Eaters tied and bound.

"We need to go," Remus whispered. Harry realized that both he and the werewolf were shaking, courtesy of the Cruciatus.

Harry nodded and, with the aid of Remus, stood up, stumbling slightly. He carefully took the Invisibility Cloak out from his pocket and shakily handed it to Remus.

"Avada Kedavra!" a shrill voice screamed suddenly from very close to them, too close…

Harry saw the flash of green light igniting from the wand, the rushing sound echoing through his ears. It all seemed to go in slow motion. One moment, Harry was staring at the light that was quickly approaching, wondering if the curse would kill him since he had to be killed by Voldemort and the next, a body was flung in it's path.

Everything then seemed to go so fast. There was a loud rushing sound; the blinding flash of green light and Harry was grasping Remus's limp body. The weight was suddenly too much for his dazed body and he collapsed to the ground, Remus's body beside him.

Harry froze for a moment before he realized what had just happened. "Remus!" he yelled, grasping the body. "Remus! Remus! Wake up! Please wake up! I'm sorry, Remus, I'm so sorry!" Harry screamed as if his screams would somehow bring Remus back to life.

Harry felt the hot tears pouring down his cheeks, dripping onto Remus's body. His body….Remus was dead. Remus was dead! He was dead! Dead! Dead like Sirius! Dead like Cedric Diggory! Dead.

An ice-cold feeling formed in Harry's stomach and it felt as if someone was holding a pillow over his face. He tried desperately to breath, but it felt as if he were breathing in concrete. No. This couldn't be happening. This-this was a dream! And Harry was going to wake up from it and go to see Remus and apologize for not visiting him at all this year and Remus was going to smile and say it was okay and they were going to have tea and everything was going to be fine…..and Remus would be alive…

A howl of agony met his ears. It took a moment for him to realize that it was him. He was yelling, yelling incoherent, unimportant things…..just yelling. Yelling so loud that his lungs burned, his throat ached. But he didn't stop yelling, he couldn't. Not when he ran out of air, not when his throat felt as if it was going to collapse, not even when he felt a pair of hands grasp his shoulders, yanking him away from Remus.

Harry took in couple of frantic breaths, though didn't receive any air. He let out a feral scream, lashing out madly as he tried to get free, to get back to Remus. He clawed at anything he touched, bit anyone he could get his hands on, flailing his limbs out wildly, not caring that he bruised anyone he hit.

He could feel other hands gripping him, trying to control his flailing but he retaliated by biting any hand that tried to touch him, not even knowing if it was his own father that was trying to calm him. He thrashed like a wildcat and didn't stop until he felt a sharp sting in his neck, followed by a feeling of being stupefied. He was paralyzed.

Harry panted heavily, lying there helplessly as the aurors lifted him and shoved him into a dark carriage. He once again heard the bolt lock solidly after they shut the door, cutting off any light. The tranquilizer hadn't worn off and Harry couldn't prevent himself from rolling onto his face as the carriage started to move.

He was alone, all alone. There wasn't even Draco here with him. Harry tried to swallow but found that he couldn't. He couldn't even blink. His face was already wet with tears and his eyes started to sting.

Only one thing registered in his broken mind: Remus was dead.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, trying to forget the fact that came back, no matter how hard he tried to forget it.

Remus was dead.

His eyes opened again. The blankness that once resided there was gone, instead was determination and something else…something that had never been there before. A shadow seemed to shine in his once bright and innocent eyes. A shadow that had the capacity to form into darkness.

Nothing mattered anymore, Remus was dead…..and he swore that Bellatrix Lestrange would join him at his own hand.

A/N- Well, tell me what you think...


	32. Chapter thirty one Azkaban? or Desperati...

Hi there everybody. Thanks, once again to my reviewers and I am sorry for the wait. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Also, thanks to my beta reader, Badbugz.

Okay, the next chapter will be out very soon, trust me. I have the chapter written out, I just need to send it to be betaed. 'The Secret' is wrapping up and there will only be a few more chapters.

Chapter thirty one- Azkaban? or Desperation

"Professor Dumbledore, did you have any idea that one of your own colleagues  
was hiding Harry Potter right underneath your nose?"

"Headmaster, is it true that Harry Potter has gone over to the dark  
side?"

"Did you help in disguising Harry Potter as Damien Snape, Professor?"

Dumbledore, Severus, and McGonagall made their way through the rapidly  
growing crowd of reporters as they struggled to reach the doors of  
Hogwarts.

Severus bowed his head, hoping that none of the idiot reporters would  
notice him. He didn't think he'd be able to keep himself from killing the  
people if they thought to badger him about Damien. Unfortunately, his wish didn't  
come true. One of the reporters trampled over the hem of his robes, causing  
him to stumble slightly. He grabbed onto Albus for support, which caused a  
small highlight of him.

The uproar was almost as bad when they had first found out that Harry  
Potter had somehow escaped from Hogwarts right under their noses. Nearly  
every reporter tried to shove Dumbledore and McGonagall out of the way to get to him. They tried but only managed to get shoved roughly back by the  
irate deputy headmistress while the headmaster watched with growing  
annoyance.

"Professor Snape, is it true that Harry Potter is really your son?"

"Did you or did you not rape Lily Potter, Professor Snape?"

"Why leave him with his relatives, Professor?"

"Is it true that he is indeed a Death Eater, Snape?"

"Over here, Professor!"

Blinding flashes from the dozens of cameras went off, leaving Severus  
dazed and not a little irritated.

"Mr. Snape! Look this way for a moment!"

"Over here!"

Severus growled and fingered the smooth wood of his wand as he saw red  
spots dance before his eyes. Dumbledore, apparently, seemed to sense that.

"We will be answering no questions as of now," Dumbledore spoke calmly  
over the barrage of questions.

That only caused more murmur to rise up. "Headmaster, why the secrecy?"

"I believe we all are entitled to our own privacy," Dumbledore said,  
his voice hardening as he began to grow impatient. Severus looked as if he  
was going to either have a stroke or pull out his wand and curse all of the  
nosy reporters.

"Just one question!"

"Is it true that Harry Potter is Damien Snape?"

"Has Harry Potter gone over to the dark side, Headmaster?"

"Professor Snape! Is it true that Harry Potter has been your son all  
this time and you have neglected your duties as a father? Why the sudden  
care, Professor?"

Severus's control snapped and he yanked out his wand.

_"Severus!"_ Dumbledore admonished.

Severus glared at him but didn't lower his wand. There was a burst of  
noise and the cameras flashed madly at him. He growled in frustration, his  
eyes automatically clamping shut at the sudden brightness. He raised a hand  
to block it out, but they only seemed to flash more persistently at his  
cringing form.

"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore roared, purple sparks issuing from his wand.  
Silence fell immediately and some reporters even backed away.

Dumbledore stared at them with icy blue eyes, causing more to shrink  
away. It was very seldom that you would see Albus Dumbledore loose control.  
He took Severus's forearm and gently eased him to the door.

Minerva inconspicuously waved her wand, causing almost every camera to  
explode in a small puff of black smoke. Exclamations of surprise and  
anger rang out before she smirked and slammed the large door shut in their  
faces.

"Now, was that really necessary, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked in a  
slightly amused voice. He sobered, however, as he turned to his other colleague.

Severus had his arms folded as he glared up at the Slytherin hourglass,  
which showed that it was in the lead by twenty-five points.

Dumbledore sighed. "Severus…"

Severus scowled at the hourglass before turning to Dumbledore, shaking  
his head. "He never has a break does he, Albus?" he whispered quietly.

Neither Dumbledore nor McGonagall answered.

The Potion's Master turned his back to them and stared at nothing in  
particular. "Will he even be able to survive Azkaban anymore?" he asked  
thickly. "With Lupin dead as well…" he abruptly broke off.

Dumbledore lowered his head in respect in memory of one of the men he  
had considered a son. "Remus was a very good man," he said quietly, raising  
his eyes to look at the man across from him. "Even you knew that. No one  
would have ever guessed that he was a werewolf." He smiled bitterly. "That's  
all he ever wanted, I suppose, to be treated like a human being instead of  
being judged for something he couldn't control."

Severus and Minerva were silent. The former had his eyes averted to the  
ground. "They're truly dead now, Albus," he said. "The Marauders are no  
more; they're all dead now."

Dumbledore winced. "Not all of them, Severus."

"I don't think that either Black nor Lup…Remus considered him a  
Marauder. They'd be insulted that you'd even suggest a thing." Severus paused and  
continued what he had been saying before. "I have doubts as to whether  
Damien is going to survive Azkaban again." He closed his eyes and  
turned away. "He's just a boy, Albus, a sixteen-year-old boy who wants to be  
just like everyone else. He shouldn't have to be worrying about a mass  
murderer trying to kill him or being thrown in Azkaban because he tried to help  
me." He shuddered. "Not to mention the fact that he has Remus's death as  
well as Voldemort torturing him now to relive."

Minerva stepped up to him but didn't put a hand on his shoulder.  
"Severus, Damien has your strength and Lily's determination. He will survive. He  
is a survivor."

"Well that's easy for you to say considering you've never been in  
Azkaban before!" Severus snapped, rounding on her.

"No, I haven't but I do know that your son is by far one of the most  
strongest people I have met. His will is unbreakable, his strength  
unlimited," she shook her head. "God, Severus, who would be able to  
survive except him? We're not as strong as he is."

Albus took a step forward. "Yes, Severus, and Harry-"

"Damien," Severus corrected, turning his haunted gaze to him. "His name is  
Damien, not Harry!"

Albus couldn't help but feel a shiver go down his spine at the ethereal look  
on the other man's face. He looked so hopeless, helpless, as if he was  
on his deathbed.

Nevertheless, Albus nodded slowly. "Of course. As I was saying, Damien  
is not going to Azkaban."

Severus seemed to freeze, his black eyes suddenly very wide. He whirled  
around to face the headmaster and grasped the man's robes. "What?" he  
whispered hoarsely. "That's not possible, Albus. They will send him to  
Azkaban."

Albus sighed, "No, they won't." He eyed the two teachers' impatient  
gazes.  
"You see, my dear Professors, what you do not know is that Minister  
Fudge was killed at the Death Eater attack on Hogsmeade. Hit by a stray  
Killing Curse."

"He's dead?" Minerva whispered.

"Yes."

"Then what does that do to help Damien's situation?"

"Well, as you know, Dolores Umbridge was the deputy Mistress of Magic  
so she is going to take his place."

Severus snorted. "Don't tell me she's going to give him a fair trial,  
Albus. She hates him."

"I'm not finished, Severus," Albus told him and he scowled. "Anyways, she  
probably would send him to Azkaban but since it was attacked-"

"It was attacked!" Severus exclaimed and Minerva glared at him.

"Yes, my dear boy," Albus nodded. "That was why Tom wasn't there at the  
attack on Hogsmeade; there was another attack on Azkaban going on at  
the same time. He freed all of his remaining Death Eaters in there and the  
dementors are now truly on his side." He paused. "Azkaban no longer  
exists."

For a moment, Severus felt relief beyond anything. Damien wasn't going  
to Azkaban; he wasn't going to be around the dementors, he was going to be  
okay. Dementors… He remembered the cold feeling of helplessness they  
always gave him, making him want to die on the spot. He could still hear the  
screams of his first victim as a Death Eater, a boy. He had been  
ordered to torture and kill a boy who had been around Damien's age at the time. He  
would never have to hear that again. Never. He felt an insane urge to  
smile at that, before he remembered the second part. Voldemort had the  
dementors….that could definitely prove to be worse. He felt a shiver go  
down his spine. What if Voldemort caught Damien again? Would he torture him  
by, not only Cruciatus, but by the use of the dementors as well? The answer  
came to him immediately. Yes. Voldemort loved the sound of Damien screaming,  
loved the sound of his cries and pained shouting.

Severus clenched his hands into tight fists as red spots appeared  
before his eyes once again. He would kill him, kill him with his bare hands if the  
bastard laid a hand on Damien. But he knew that his thoughts were  
fruitless. He couldn't kill Voldemort, only Damien could.

All of the sudden he felt completely drained and incapable of seeking  
any form of revenge on the monster he had once had the idiocy to call  
'master.' What could he possibly do to help Damien in the final battle? He  
couldn't kill Voldemort for him. If he could, he'd do it in a heartbeat if only  
to spare his son the weighing feeling of killing someone, even if that  
someone deserved to die more then anyone.

Once again, the feeling of helplessness washed over him and there  
wasn't a dementor in sight.

&&&&&&&&&&

The first thing his muddled mind comprehended as he woke up was pain.  
Pain shot through his eyes and to his head like liquid fire. He hissed,  
clamping his eyes shut as he waited for the searing heat to fade away.

Damien cautiously peeked an eye open again before the other joined. He  
was in a rotted jail cell. The iron bars were rusted dark red and the  
concrete floor was wet with perspiration. As far as he could see, there were no  
other cells in sight of his. He carefully climbed to his feet, swaying  
slightly as he felt a rising nausea. Groaning he sat back down heavily, waiting for  
it to pass with clenched teeth.

He breathed a sigh of relief before falling against the stone wall in  
exhaustion as he eyed the cell, expecting to see Lisa Turpin or (he  
shivered) Cho Chang, both who were still in Azkaban. He knew Cho was a  
spy; she didn't deserve to be in this place anymore then Damien himself did.

But as he looked around at all the cells, each one empty, he couldn't  
help but feel as if he should be colder then he really was. Where were the  
dementors? Not that he wanted them to be here or anything, but he  
couldn't help but feel that something was different about this place.

No.

This wasn't Azkaban; he could tell. The cells were too, while not  
necessarily clean, they weren't as rotted as the cells were in Azkaban.  
The torches that hung from the wall were still lit, they'd usually be burnt  
out at the wizard prison.

Relief spread over him like warmth from a hot bath but it was  
short-lived as another thought came to mind. If he wasn't in Azkaban, where was he?

Damien opened his eyes again and stared around the large room that was  
filled when about a dozen cells. He couldn't recognize it but, then  
again, he'd never been to a prison besides Azkaban, not even one with the  
Dursleys.  
He was startled from his musings as the bolted door opened.

Two wizards, both in Ministry robes, walked in. One looked  
tight-lipped, and very stern, reminding Damien of a harsher, male version of McGonagall. The other was a younger man, looking very ashen and frightened as his pale eyes darted around as if he expected Lord Voldemort himself to jump out.  
They approached Damien's cell and the older one spoke.

"Harry Potter, a.k.a. Damien Snape," he said in a strict but slightly  
bored tone. "You have been accused of following You-Know-Who and practicing  
heinous acts by means of being a Death Eater."

Damien blinked, but dared not breathe too loud, let alone speak.

"Penalty, of course, is lifetime in Azkaban without the involvement of  
a trial," the wizard went on, glaring down at the boy.

Damien stared at him in confusion. Shouldn't this man be saying this in  
front of the Ministry or something?

"However, as Azkaban no longer exists (Damien's eyes widened), that is  
no longer possible. The next suggested penalty is death," he paused to  
enjoy Damien's look of horror. "Unfortunately, our new Mistress of Magic has  
no say about your penalty until she becomes the official Mistress so you  
are sentenced to a trial to determine your penalty."

Damien let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. His  
father's face flashed through his mind for a moment. Where was his father? Was  
he okay? Hurt? Dead? He felt a knife cut through his heart at the thought  
of his father being dead. Damien clenched his fists, his heart beating  
faster.

"Your trial will take place tomorrow at ten thirty, so I suggest you  
come up with something that might ease the weight of your penalty," the man  
said snidely. "Though how that can be possible, I will never know."

Damien watched him leave dazedly before something occurred to him.  
"Wait! What happened to Fudge?"

The older wizard continued on as if he hadn't said anything but the  
younger froze like a deer caught in headlights. Damien gripped the bars of his  
cell tighter. Maybe he could get the man to tell him if his father was okay.

"Minister Fudge was killed in the Death Eater attack on Hogsmeade," the  
remaining wizard told him nervously.

"What happened to Azkaban?"

"Y-you-Know-Who attacked it yesterday during the Hogsmeade attack," he  
replied shakily. "He freed the Death Eaters and the d-dementors are now  
on his side."

Damien resisted the urge to say "duh…" and instead asked quietly.  
"Who's the new Mistress of Magic?"

"D-delores Umbridge," the young man glanced around, before turning to  
go.

"Wait!" Damien yelled again once he had shaken off the shock and slight  
fear of the news of the Mistress of Magic. "Please, just one more question.  
Who….who else was killed at the attack on Hogsmeade?" he whispered,  
almost afraid to know the answer.

The young ministry wizard hesitated. "A couple ministry wizards….a  
professor at Hogwarts…" Damien's insides turned to ice. "…Remus Lupin."

Damien never would have thought that he'd feel relieved at the old news  
on his defense teacher's death. His heart pulsed guiltily as he remembered  
the cause of Remus's death. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the  
concrete wall. How could he have forgotten about Remus? Remus, who had  
given his life for Damien, like so many before him had. Like James Potter,  
like Damien's mother, like Cedric Diggory, and Sirius…..

How many others would there be? Who else would die for and because of  
Damien? Ron or Hermione? Ginny or Draco? His father or Dumbledore? His  
heart clenched at the thought of any of his loved ones dying. No. They didn't  
deserve to die, especially not for him. If anyone was going to die it  
was going to be him, Damien. They all deserved a good, happy life and  
Damien was the only one who could give them that.

With my luck, I'll have to die in order for Voldemort too, he thought  
sagely as he absently watched the wizard make a quick exit. It was probably  
true.  
He'd never get a normal life, but if that was the price he had to pay for  
his family (yes, his family) to live safely then he'd gladly give it  
up.

_'The price you pay for the people you love…'  
_

&&&&&&&&&&

"Miss Weasley, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger, the headmaster would like  
to see you," Professor McGonagall informed the brooding teenagers at  
breakfast the next day before heading over to where Neville, Seamus, and Dean  
were sitting. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other but Ginny continued  
eating as if she hadn't heard anything.

"Come on, Ginny," Hermione said gently as she took the girl's arm. "You  
heard the professor."

Ginny sniffed and turned to glare at her. "How can you not be mad at  
them? They promised us that they wouldn't let anything happen to Damien and  
now look what's happened…" She turned away.

"You can't blame what happened on Professor Snape-" Hermione began.

"It's not Snape that I'm blaming!" Ginny shrieked, her brown eyes  
looking slightly wild. "It's that idiot of a headmaster we have!"

_"Ginny!"_

"What?" she snapped. "It is! It's his damn fault that Damien went back  
to being Harry-"

"He would've had to do that anyways eventually, Ginny," Hermione told  
her softly.

"Dumbledore could've just put him in hiding," she protested, stabbing  
her sausage in half with her fork. "And he knew that! He just wanted his  
precious golden boy back."

Ron and Hermione exchanged nervous glances. "Nevertheless, Ginny,"  
Hermione said quietly. "We still need to go to the headmaster's office; it  
probably does have something to do with Damien."

"Yeah," Ron nodded. "He's not dead yet." Hermione abruptly gave him a  
sharp slap on the back of the head ("What'd I do!). "What Ron means to say  
is that he still has a trial to go through. Remember what the Daily  
Prophet said?"

"And here I thought the two of you had stopped reading it," Ginny said  
scathingly as she proceeded to mutilate the now ground-up sausage.

Hermione bristled. "Now honestly, Ginny, you're really overreac-"

"Granger! Weasleys!" McGonagall called out sharply.

"Let's just go," Ron muttered, glancing sadly at his half-eaten plate  
before picking up his bag and heading out of the Hall with Hermione, Ginny  
trailing behind.

When Ginny entered the headmaster's office, her presumption that  
Dumbledore was going to tell them that Damien had been sentenced to the death  
penalty were immediately intensified as she gazed around the crowded office.

Neville was sitting nervously in one of the armchairs, looking worried  
and confused. Seamus and Dean were on his left, sitting on a small couch.  
Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown were also sitting in two other chairs  
off to Neville's right. Even Luna Lovegood was sitting dreamily in the  
chair behind Lavender's. Ernie Macmillian along with Justin Finch-Fletchley  
were seated on the available floor space in front of Dumbledore's desk.  
Ginny nearly swallowed her tongue as she spotted Pansy Parkinson in a chair  
way off to the left next to a window overlooking the Quidditch Pitch, which  
she was currently staring out of.

Why would she be here? Ginny thought vaguely before sitting next to  
Hermione on the floor.

Professor Dumbledore nodded to them all and stood up. Professors  
McGonagall and Snape were standing behind him.

"Thank you all for coming," Dumbledore said, looking around at them.  
"You are here because the Ministry has requested each of you as a possible  
witness to be questioned at Damien's trial today."

A small burst of whispers escalated from the small group, but was  
quieted almost immediately.

"But why all of us, Professor?" Hermione, of course.

"Because each of you have befriended Harry, or Damien, in some way,"  
Dumbledore answered, surveying them all. "You do know that you will not  
be given Veritaserum on the stand since you are underage, but I am hoping  
thatall of you will be completely honest in all of your answers," his said  
seriously as his blue gaze met each student's gaze individually.  
"Harry's life is at stake, as you all know, and you may be able to help an  
innocentboy escape yet another penalty that he doesn't deserve."

Ginny sat up a bit straighter as she stared around at her fellow  
students impassively. If any one of them even dared to try and lie to get Damien  
killed… She glanced over at her Potion's Professor and knew that the  
man was thinking the same thing.

"You will all, of course, be excused from classes today," Dumbledore  
went on. "The trial starts at ten thirty." He paused to eye Seamus's  
slightly disheveled robes. "You have fifteen minutes to get ready and we will  
meet back in here at ten fifteen to portkey to the ministry together."

"You can't just take us out of school like this!" Lavender exclaimed  
suddenly. Everyone turned to stare at her and she blushed. "Er….can  
you?" she asked hesitantly.

"I most certainly can, Miss Brown," Dumbledore told her. "I am the  
headmaster of this school and the ministry requests each of you to be  
present at the trial."

Lavender blushed deeper and ducked her head.

"You all may go now," Dumbledore informed them after his gaze left  
Lavender. "Ten fifteen and do not be late!"

Only a couple of the students stood up to leave while most stayed  
seated.

"Do you think any of them would actually want him killed?" Hermione  
quietly asked Ron.

"Dunno," the male redhead replied. "A lot of them are rather at odds  
with him," he shrugged, "either because he's Snape's son, or he's a Death  
Eater, or maybe they just didn't get over all the rumors in the Prophet…"

"But, really Ron, to go as far as killing him? Isn't that a bit  
extreme?"

"You'd be surprised."

Ginny tuned them out as she watched the three professors converse  
quietly by the headmaster's desk. She wondered what they were talking about. Did  
they actually believe that Damien would loose the case? She felt a shiver  
run down her spine at the thought of him being sentenced to death. No, not  
Damien, he was too strong too….defiant. He had been the Wizarding  
World's hero for so long. How could they destroy a hero? Were they really that  
stupid? Ginny shuddered; if the world was this bad now, then she could  
only imagine the world that her children would be born into. For a moment, a  
haze settled over her mind as she thought dazedly, _If Damien dies, then will  
I even have kids?_ It seemed absolutely impossible that she'd even dream  
about being with anyone but Damien. He was the only one that she even thought  
that way about anymore and the idea of her marrying or dating someone else  
made her want to gag.

She watched dazedly as the other students filed back in, and they all  
lined up to touch the three different porkeys their teachers had. She walked over  
to Professor Snape and carefully placed a hand on the beater bat, feeling Ron and Hermione do the same. It comforted her slightly to know that  
they were going to be there with her. If Damien couldn't be, then she'd much rather have them.

The last thing Ginny saw was Professor Snape's dark eyes boring into hers before the world melted around them.

A/N- Tell me what you think...


	33. Chapter thirty two The Trial

Hey everyone. Sorry, I didn't expect it to take this long to post another chapter. My teacher just suddenly decided to give us this huge project to do in only a week and a half.

Well, school is finally coming to a close once again and I will have a little more time to write. This summer I'll be pretty busy though but this story is, I'm hoping, coming to an end before the sixth book but it keeps piling up.

Once again, thanks to all my wonderful reviewers and to my beta readers, Badbugz.

**SneakyMerlin**- I have a million on my favorites list if you haven't read them all.

Chapter thirty two- The Trial

A dull roar of noise met Damien as he trudged into the overcrowded courtroom. Most of the audience went quiet while others expressed their opinions of him rather loudly and colorfully. He didn't look at the of faces filled with both disgust and concern as he sat down in the chair the ministry wizard led him to. With a lurch in his stomach, he noticed that there were chains on each arm though they, luckily, remained motionless.

"The court will now come to order!" Madame Bones, who was judging Damien's trial, called, causing everyone to fall silent. "Case 387651, defendant Harold James Potter a.k.a. Damien Severus Snape and the prosecution, the Ministry of Magic on this day of February 15th, 1997." She threw a slightly apologetic glance in Dumbledore's direction, who was sitting in the front beside Severus.

"Mr. Potter is accused of following You-Know-Who and practicing heinous acts by means of being a Death Eater as well as possible use of the Unforgivables on another living being." Damien recognized the words as almost the exact same ones that the ministry wizard had told him of when he had been in the cell. He glanced around to see the crowd's reactions.

A wave of noise followed the ending of Madame Bones's statement as several people (which Damien vaguely recognized as Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Fred, and George) stood up to protest loudly. Damien held back a smirk.

"Silence!" Madame Bones commanded. "This is a courtroom, not a jungle and I expect it to be treated as such. Each of you, cease behaving like animals and sit down!"

On Dumbledore's left shoulder perched Fawkes and Damien noticed, with a small twinge of amusement, that he ruffled his feathers indignantly at her statement.

"Interrogators: Dolores Jane Umbridge, pending Mistress of Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Jackson Eric Andrews, Head Auror; Allison Claris Barene, Head of the Department of Underage Wizardry," as she said the names, each person nodded slightly from where they were seated behind her.

"Witnesses: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Severus Nobilius Snape, Minerva Erica McGonagall, Ginevra Molly Weasley, Ronald Arthur Weasley, Hermione Anne Granger, Pansy Caroline Parkinson, Neville Frank Longbottom, Fredrick William Weasley, George William Weasley, Seamus Ares Finnagan, Dean Matthew Thomas, and Luna Lisa Lovegood," she took a breath after finishing the names, and cleared her throat before taking a seat in the front of the Wizengomat.

Damien frowned. This trial was a heck of a lot different from the one he had had at the beginning of his fifth year. Of course, the charges hadn't been near as severe as these. What surprised him most was the witnesses; how could there be so many? Did they plan to keep him here all day and into the night. Damien sighed and stared straight ahead from where his chair was stationed facing the entire crowd, right beneath Madame Bones's chair.

"Now," she went on, turning to nod toward a man with a slick cap of brown hair that looked as if it had been gelled down similar to the way Draco had worn his hair in their first year. "The Chair recognizes Mr. Jackson Andrews, will you began?"

The man nodded and shuffled his papers importantly. Damien shifted in his seat, feeling heat rise to his cheeks at all the eyes that were on him.

"I call upon Severus Snape and request permission for the use of veritaserum," Andrews croaked, his voice sounded raspy.

"Permission granted," Madame Bones nodded. "Mr. Snape."

Damien watched as his father slowly stood up and made his way to the chair a couple feet away from his own. The man glanced at him briefly before downing the veritaserum reluctantly. Instantly, his dark eyes glazed, giving Damien the distinct impression of someone put under the Imperius. He shivered.

"What is your full name?" Andrews questioned clearly.

"Severus Nobilius Snape," Damien's father responded monotonously.

Damien winced, wanting nothing more then to become deaf of the indifferent voice.

"What is your age?"

"Thirty eight years and eleven months," Severus responded automatically.

Damien wondered why the question was relevant before figuring that they always started out with simple questions. So Severus's birthday was March 15th? He didn't ponder on that long as Andrews asked another question.

"Are you a Death Eater?"

Severus blinked but didn't respond.

"More specifically if you please, Mr. Andrews," Madame Bones told him.

The man scowled and said in a bored voice, "Are you a loyal Death Eater, Mr. Snape?"

"No."

"When did you start working for Albus Dumbledore?"

"Almost three months after my initiation."

Andrews nodded and hesitated.

"Is Harry Potter your son?"

"No."

A wave of noise swept through the courtroom, which was immediately silenced by the judge.

Dumbledore stood up. "If you would please re-phrase that question, Mr. Andrews? I believe that veritaserum tells only what the drinker believes to be the truth and in all honestly, Harry Potter and Damien Snape, while both the same boy, are certainly not the same people."

Madame Bones nodded. "Well stated. Mr. Andrews?"

"Is Damien Snape your son?"

"Yes."

"Do you believe that Damien Snape is Harry Potter?"

Severus didn't answer for a moment. "To a certain extent."

"Please move on with your questioning, Mr. Andrews," Madame Bones interrupted. "We do have many people to go through."

"Of course, Madame," Andrews gave a little bow.

"Is your son a loyal Death Eater, Mr. Snape?"

"No."

"Was he ever a loyal Death Eater?"

"No," Severus replied a little more forcefully then he was supposed to.

"Has your son ever harmed anyone under You-Know-Who's orders?"

"No," Severus said again, in a slightly bored voice.

"Veritaserum is starting to wear off, Madame," Andrews said. "I request permission to re-administer a stronger dosage."

Madame Bones sighed. "Denied. Continue with your questioning, Mr. Andrews. I'm sure you can do without veritaserum." Andrews scowled but continued. "Has your son ever participated in any Death Eater raids, Mr. Snape?"

"No," Severus said immediately, glaring at the man. "If he hasn't harmed anyone then he hasn't participated in any raids, Mr. Andrews, you should know that."

Andrews gave him an oily smile. "Yes, well, association is just as bad, Mr. Snape."

"If there are no further questions?" Madame Bones said to Andrews, who nodded reluctantly, obviously looking put out at Severus' resistance to veritaserum.

"You may step down, Mr. Snape," Madame Bones nodded.

Next was Allison Barene. She was a rather plump witch with a slick cap of light brown hair and blue eyes. Her matching blue robes were slightly ragged and not nearly as fancy as the other members of the Wizengomat (some of which were frowning at her disapprovingly). She reminded Damien vaguely of Mrs. Weasley.

"I call Mr. Ronald Weasley to the stand please."

There was a ripple in the crowd as nearly every head turned to look at Ron, who was sitting between Hermione and Ginny, blood red. The male redhead shakily stood up and made his way to the chair Severus had sat in only moments beforehand. Damien noticed that Ron was trying rather unsuccessfully to hide the tattered cuffs of the sleeves of his robes.

"Hello, Mr. Weasley," Barene greeted pleasantly as soon as Ron had settled himself into the chair, obviously trying to make the nervous young man a little more comfortable.

Ron merely nodded in response as his eyes flickered over to meet Damien's for an instant.

"Alright, now I'm going to ask you a few questions so please be as honest as you can and I won't request the use of veritaserum," Barene told Ron as if he were a child. Ron flushed in embarrassment, hating it almost as much as Damien did to be treated like a child.

"Now," Barene began. "How long have you known Harry Potter?"

"Almost six years," Ron muttered as if it were obvious. "Since the beginning of our first year."

"Is it true that he is a parseltongue?"

"Yeah," Ron grumbled, sounding very disgruntled. "It's true."

"Has Mr. Potter ever seemed even remotely dark to you, Mr. Weasley?"

Ron looked alarmed. "No," he said and Damien was surprised at the calm level of voice. He had expected Ron to shout, which surely wouldn't have been good for the case.

"He's never threatened to kill another person or practiced dark arts?"

"No," Ron said immediately. "Harry…er..Damien"-he blushed again- "has always been against the dark side."

"How do you know that for sure, Mr. Weasley?"

Ron flushed, this time in anger. "I have known him ever since he found out about magic and there's the fact that You-Know-Who's always been trying to kill him."

"And you believe he's never thought of going over to the dark side because of that, Mr. Weasley?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, who would be an ally to a person that wants to kill you? Damien's always hated You-Know-Who. I'd think that would be pretty obvious since he has fought him almost every year."

"Were you aware that Mr. Potter was actually Damien Snape?"

A murmur went through the crowd and Ron hesitated, obviously unsure if he should tell the truth. Dumbledore gave him a small nod and he relaxed.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I did."

Barene arched an eyebrow. "You did, did you? Why would he tell you that?"

"Because I'm his best friend," Ron said slowly, looking confused at the woman's apparent disbelief.

Barene frowned and shuffled her papers for a moment. "Did Mr. Potter change over the course of this year, Mr. Weasley? Did you notice any major differences in his personality?"

Ron seemed to be trying to figure out if this was a trick question or not.

"Um…no, not really. I mean, everyone changes and he wasn't really different."

"So he did change?"

Ron blinked. "Well he was happier this year because of obvious reasons and he was…..well….a lot more confident too."

Damien blushed and he heard a few people snicker in the crowd.

"Describe 'obvious reasons.'"

Ron rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Obvious reasons! Like the fact that he had a father that was alive."

"If I may say so myself, I was under the impression that Mr. Potter and Professor Snape were not overly fond of each other."

"People change," Ron stated confidently, glancing cautiously at Damien, who smiled at him.

Barene sighed, looking rather displeased. "Were you aware of Damien Snape's marking?"

"Yes."

"And how did you react to it?"

Ron frowned. "Well," he said slowly, giving the question some thought. "At first I was worried…."

"Because you were afraid that he was going dark?"

"No!" Ron exclaimed. "I was worried because I knew Damien was probably going to spy with Professor Snape and I know what happens to spies in You-Know-Who's ranks if they're found out."

Barene looked severely discontented, still not bringing herself to believe the redhead. Nevertheless, she dismissed him and called the next person to the stand, hoping that she'd be able to get the least bit of truth before the day was over.

Hermione was next. In contrast to Ron, she calmly approached the chair and sat down, showing her nervousness from the way her eyes darted over to Damien once every few moments.

"How long have you known Harry Potter?"

"Since first year," Hermione answered politely. "The same time Ron met him."

"Ah, you befriended him along with Mr. Weasley?"

"Well," Hermione blushed. "At first, we weren't friends but on Halloween, we started to become good friends."

"Yes, the Golden Trio as I've heard?" Barene smiled at Hermione. She didn't return it.

"Tell me, Miss Granger, why did you suddenly befriend Mr. Potter then?"

"He and Ron saved my life," Hermione answered breezily.

"From what?"

"A mountain troll."

Barene nodded and scanned her notes. "Yes," she said absently. "I do recall hearing about that."

"Has Mr. Potter ever seemed dangerous to you? Perhaps a bit, how do I put it, not right in the head?"

Damien scowled, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"No, of course not!" Hermione sounded scandalized. "Damien has always been one of my best friends, he'd never hurt me or anyone else."

"Has he ever called you a mudblood?"

"No," Hermione said again, calmer this time. "He has defended me multiple times from those who do and he still does despite the fact that the people he defends me from are his housemates."

"I take it you were aware of his marking?"

"Yes."

"How did you feel about it?"

"Like Ron said, I was worried that he'd get hurt…or worse."

"So you did not and do not believe that Mr. Potter will ever turn towards the dark?"

"No, I know he won't, he's not an idiot," Hermione said coolly.

"Very well, Miss Granger, you may step down."

Hermione looked thoroughly relieved that her turn was over and was shaking slightly as she hurried up to her seat, obviously not wanting to be apart of the spotlight any longer then possible.

He snorted as Mrs. Barene took her seat again and Umbridge stood up.

The woman had practically killed her case. Damien took a moment to shoot a grateful look at his two friends before standing up as Umbridge called him to the stand.

"I request use of veritaserum," she gave Damien a poisonous smile, her acid green robes adding more to the toad imagery Damien had created for her so long ago.

"That is up to the guardian," Madame Bones said, glancing at Severus.

"Denied," the man replied instantly, his black eyes glittering as they glared at her. He gave her a mocking smirk, which made her face harden monemtarily before turning back to Damien.

"Well, it is quite obvious that we will get no where without veritaserum," she informed Damien. "If you have nothing to hide, Mr. Potter, then why do you not let me use veritaserum?"

"It's Mr. Snape," Damien said through gritted teeth.

"Now, now, no need for confrontation," she said with a girlish laugh. "This boy has always had quite a problem with lying." She turned back to him, having just addressed Madame Bones. "Don't you remember, Mr. Snape? All of the detentions you were forced to spend with me because of all those silly lies you kept putting into your classmates' heads?"

"I'd think that after last year's article that you'd at least know that I wasn't lying," Damien growled, his eyes flashing. He tried to calm himself down, knowing that any anger he showed would most likely be used against him. But he couldn't help thinking about her sickly sweet know-it-all voice as she shot down anything he said on that first day of DADA in fifth year. He clenched his fists to suppress a well of anger.

"Tell me, Snape," Umbridge went on. "Have you ever wished anyone dead?"

Damien nearly snorted at the pure stupidity of the question. Memories of when he had thought that Sirius had betrayed his parents flashed through his mind. He had wanted to kill Sirius at that point. Then there was Bellatrix Lestrange, who killed Sirius right in front of him. He could still hear her taunting voice ringing in his ear, "_Aw did you love him, baby Potter?"_ And she had killed Remus. _Remus_. Damien took a deep breath to control his magic that was threatening to burst. Then there was, of course, Voldemort who had caused every ounce of pain in his life. He was the reason James and his mother were dead, he was the reason Damien had been stuck with the Dursleys' all these years, he had killed Cedric, placed him and his friends in danger repeatedly. Damien was supposed to kill Voldemort. What was he supposed to say to that? But no, he wouldn't say a word of how he felt. Even if every person had thought about killing at least one other in this damn war, he'd, of course, be executed for admitting it when he was supposed to kill someone in the end.

"Well, Mr. Snape? We're waiting," Umbridge said impatiently.

"No," Damien replied, scowling. "Have you, Miss Umbridge? This is a war, after all."

She turned the color of sour milk. "I am the one asking the questions here, Mr. Snape and you will do well to keep your mouth shut. This is not just school anymore, Snape and I knew you'd end up here eventually."

"Is that so?" Damien asked in monotone voice, almost wanting to tone her out.

Her face reddened slightly and she whirled around to face Dumbledore and Snape. "If I may, Professors, but if you say this boy here is innocent then why the denial for usage of veritaserum? Surely if he's innocent then he's not hiding anything, or is he?"

"Miss Umbridge," Madame Bones barked. "You are supposed to be questioning the witness, if you want to question Professor Dumbledore or Snape then you will have to call them to the stand," she said in slower voice then usual.

Damien nearly snickered as he remembered how incredibly annoyed he had been when Umbridge had spoke to him like he was five.

Unfortunately, however, the damage was already done as the Wizengamot began murmuring in agreement at Umbridge's question to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore frowned and whispered something to Severus, who glared and spat something back. Damien watched them closely, completely ignoring Umbridge's next question.

"Mr. Snape!" Umbridge snapped and Damien jumped. "Answer the question."

"I would if you'd repeat it." He saw Fred and George grin at him out of the corner of his eye.

Umbridge gave an annoyed sigh. "Have you or have you not harmed a human under He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's orders?"

"I think my father answered the question for you, considering he was under veritaserum at the time," Damien said snidely.

"Yes, well there are many things that teenagers don't tell their parents. Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Snape?" Umbridge said coldly.

Damien snorted. "No, I haven't harmed anyone under Voldemort's" –a shudder rose up in the room- "orders, nor have I ever followed Voldemort's orders."

"Then will you please inform us why, exactly, you chose to be marked."

Damien scowled. He glanced over at Dumbledore, who gave him a small nod and took a breath. "Death Eaters pledge their future heir's loyalty to Voldemort when they are marked. When I arrived at Hogwarts this year, Voldemort wanted my father to bring me to be marked."

"So you did?" Umbridge asked in a bored voice. "Just like that?"

"Well, he probably would have been killed had I not so, yeah, just like that," Damien snapped, feeling anger rise up in him again.

"And why didn't Mr. Snape just quit You-Know-Who's ranks?" Umbridge said mockingly. "Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater, is it?"

"No," Damien growled. "My father has been one of the top spies for the Order for years. No one wanted to loose their spy for the Order."

"So Dumbledore risked the prophecy-child's life?" Umbridge asked snidely. Damien froze, feeling his insides turn to ice. How had she known that?

There was a quiet murmuring of the crowd, informing him that they were wondering just that as well.

He quickly regained his composure at the look of triumph on the toad's face.

"No, I did. Neither Dumbledore nor my father wanted me to join but I did anyway."

"To save your father's life? How sweet," she taunted softly.

Damien's eyes flashed. "Yes," he said boldly. "To save his life and to, possibly, give the Order another good spy."

"But something went wrong, didn't it? You suddenly decided that being a spy was too much work did you?" Umbridge sneered in a scary resemblance to Damien's father when the man had hated him.

"No-"

"Then what, Mr. Snape? Is it that you suddenly realized that the Ministry was gaining power and you knew you'd get caught?"

"No…"

"That's is isn't it? You went to Azkaban for a little while and you decide that it's too scary for you, don't you?" Umbridge goaded.

"Have you ever been to Azkaban, Umbridge?" Damien snapped. "I told you I am not loyal, nor was I ever."

Umbridge pasted a fake smile on her face as she walked closer to his chair.

The courtroom was completely silent besides the soft clunking of her heels against the floor. She gave him a crooked smile and leaned over to say quietly, "It's my, the Mistress of Magic's, word against yours, a sad little deranged boy that is the topic of entertainment in the Daily Prophet every other day. Who do you think they'll believe?"

Damien whispered back, "You're not the Mistress yet." His ears were pounding as he sat back and concentrated on staring straight ahead at the many people who were trying to lean forward to hear what they were saying.

"Just admit it, Mr. Snape, and I'll make sure your death is very painless," Umbridge said softly before straightening back up and giving him another poisoned honey smile.

"If I am still denied the usage of veritaserum," she turned to glare at Dumbledore and Severus, "then I am finished questioning."

Obviously, she had achieved what she wanted and Damien noticed very few of the Wizengomat looked as if they believed him.

Madame Bones nodded. "Mr. Snape, you may step-"

"I will grant Miss Delores Umbridge permission to use veritaserum on my son," Severus spoke up, standing as he did so.

Damien, who had also been in the process of standing up, froze and stared at Severus with wide eyes. _What?_ He mouthed silently to his father.

Umbridge gave him a superior smile. "Thank you, Professor Snape," she said curtly.

Severus sat back down, looking almost pained and very regretful. Beside him, Dumbledore placed a wrinkled hand on his shoulder, which Severus shrugged away immediately.

Damien felt torn, almost betrayed, though he knew it would be better for their case if he did accept the veritaserum to prove that he wasn't hiding anything. He hesitantly took a couple drops of the potion and suddenly, a pleasant haze settled over his mind. He felt so comfortable, so very comfortable that he could almost fall asleep. His brain recognized it as effects similar to the Imperious and immediately tried to reject it, but the serum was far too strong and couldn't be fought by will power, at least not completely.

"Damien Severus Snape," he answered grimly to Umbridge's question.

"How old are you?"

Who cares? "Sixteen years, sixth months, and fifteen days."

"When did you join You-Know-Who's services?"

"December 8th, 1996."

"Have you ever been a loyal Death Eater?"

"No," Damien responded.

Umbridge seemed to deflate. The Wizengomat broke out into whispers.

"Obviously," Umbridge regained her leverage. "This boy has been given an immunity potion to veritaserum." She turned to the Wizengomat. "The boy's father is, after all, a Potion's Master…"

"Objection!" Severus yelled, standing up. "You know as well as everyone else in this room that there is no potion that causes immunity for veritaserum. The only way to get rid of it is from the antidote or when it wears off!" He sneered at her. "You are grasping for straws, woman!" he spat before sitting back down.

"And yet you seem to have been a teensy bit immune to the veritaserum, Professor Snape?"

The other wizards were muttering quietly to each other. The crowd was growing restless.

"Order!" Madame Bones snapped.

"I have a slight resistance to it because it was passed on to me from my father," Severus said quietly. "It is a hereditary trait."

"So you admit it?" Umbridge said triumphantly. "You admit that this boy also has a…ahem…_slight _resistance to veritaserum."

"You would know if he was immune," Severus retorted. "He is still showing symptoms that he is under the potion. There is no possible way that anyone can fake being under veritaserum."

"So says you," Umbridge breathed icily.

"Miss Umbridge!" Madame Bones demanded. "You will address your questions to only the witness. If I have to remind you again then you are out of this courtroom."

"Of course, Madame," Umbridge nodded, looking cheery about something.

The Wizengomat was silent, all of them staring at her.

Damien felt the pleasant haze in his mind part slightly and for a moment, he recognized his father's worried dark eyes boring into his before the haze settled again. Damien tried to push it aside again, wanting more then anything to be able to think for himself again. It was to his horror that Umbridge asked clearly, "Have you ever used an Unforgiveable on another human, Mr. Snape?"

Damien's mind flashed instantly to that night in the Department of Mysteries and he opened his mouth. "Ye-no," he stuttered and the entire courtroom burst into surprised whispers.

"Order!" Madame Bones roared. "I said Order! Now hush all of you or so help me, you will not set another foot in this courtroom until the case is over!"

They quieted almost immediately.

Umbridge was smiling broadly as she turned to address Madame Bones. "He changed his answer, Madame. The veritaserum is starting to wear off on him too." She addressed the court. "Everyone here heard what exactly Mr. Snape's answer was going to be until the veritaserum began to wear off." She turned back to the judge.

"I ask permission to administer veritaserum once again for the true answer to this question."

"Denied," Severus said immediately, glaring at her.

"I'm afraid, Professor, that you have no say in this one," Umbridge smirked triumphantly.

"She's right, Professor," Madame Bones said with a sigh. "Mr. Snape was in the middle of answering a question when the veritaserum wore off. He needs to answer truthfully, especially due to the fact that he stuttered on it."

Dumbledore stood up. "If I may, Madame? Perhaps Damien's mind was confused on if an Unforgiveable had been cast upon himself rather then he being the castor. Veritaserum does do that often which I'm sure you all know."

Madame Bones nodded. "Yes, Headmaster, I am aware of that but, nevertheless, Mr. Snape must be re-administered with veritaserum in order for us to get the truthful answer." Dumbledore nodded also, smiling as he sat down. Damien felt his insides turn to ice. Dumbledore didn't know that he had tried to cast the Cruciatus on Lestrange. No one except his father knew. He swallowed the rising lump in his throat as his now cleared mind worked frantically for something, anything to delay her.

"You, Dolores Umbridge, have no right to be questioning me anymore then you have to be the Mistress of Magic," Damien said finally, surprising the courtroom. "Forgive me if I am mistaken, but is it not true with the Ministry of Magic that one cannot be a part of the Wizengamont if he or she has a criminal record?"

"That is true, Mr. Snape, but Umbridge does not have a criminal record," Madame Bones said impatiently. "It is irrelevant…"

Damien yanked up his right sleeve, revealing the pale white scar 'I will not tell lies' on the back of his hand.

"Umbridge used an illegal blood quill on students last year during their detentions, namely me," he announced with such authority that he surprised himself. Umbridge froze in her tracks and the courtroom exploded as people didn't even bother to keep their voices down.

"I was unaware that it was illegal last year," Damien went on, revealing the back of his hand to the restless crowd.

"Do you have any proof that it was Dolores Umbridge who did this, Mr. Snape?" Madame Bones asked quietly, eyeing the words with a disgusted look.

Damien felt his heart skip a beat for a moment as he racked his brain.

"Other then my memories," he said slowly. "I also have another student who experienced this." Madame Bones looked surprised. "Who, Mr. Snape?"

"Lee Jordan," Damien said, feeling confidence.

"And is he present at this time?"

She looked out into the crowd though when no one spoke up, she turned back to Damien. "These claims will be investigated, Mr. Snape, but are not as vital as your case here. We will continue-"

"She also was going to use the Cruciatus on me at the end of last year," Damien blurted out quickly. "But my friend, Hermione Granger stopped her before she could get out the last syllable and there are many people here today that can testify for that, Madame Bones."

There was an uproar of shock from the crowd. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and even Luna were all expressing their agreement, all who had been there to witness it. Severus and Dumbledore were both abandoning their seats to confront a frozen Umbridge and Damien a tingle of fear travel through him at the pure anger in Dumbledore's light blue eyes. His father wasn't any better. The man's usual pale skin was flushed, his onyx eyes seemed to darken until they resembled two endless tunnels. He forced himself to look away from the furious wizards.

"And," Damien shouted above the crowd at Umbridge, who was steadily growing paler. "You were the one who ordered the dementors after me the summer before my fifth year! You admitted that, Umbridge! You admitted that to Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna, and I right before you tried to cast the Cruciatus on me!" He had to yell to be heard. He noticed that some wizards from the Wizengamot were shaking their heads disbelievingly while others, like Jackson Andrews, who was shouting

"Preposterous!"

Madame Bones had to cause a series of loud firework-like cracks with her wand to get the courtroom under order.

"Order!" she roared again for the fifth time as they quieted down.

She turned to look at Damien, staring at for a moment as if assessing if she should truly believe him. After a moment, she gave a nod.

"These accusations are very severe, Mr. Snape," she looked at him sternly. "You do realize that it will only weaken your defense for your case if you are proven wrong."

"I do," Damien said quietly. "But it's the truth. I have many witnesses for it who would be more then willing to undergo the Legilimens spell to prove it." He was thinking about Ron, Hermione, and Ginny mainly and perhaps Neville. He was sure that Lee would also be willing, since Umbridge did use the blood quill on him as well.

Madame Bones reached a hand up to rub the spot between her eyes tiredly.

"This trial shall resume at a later date, when these accusations are resolved." She didn't sound very professional and obviously didn't care.

"Until then, Mr. Snape will be held in a containment cell while he will await the beginning of Dolores Umbrige's trial," she paused and flicked her wand, magically placing the information on Damien's papers.

"Dismissed."

There was a surge of shuffling and murmurs as everyone started talking again while others were quickly hurrying to the door.

The ministry wizard that had brought Damien down grabbed the boy's shoulder and yanked him up. Damien winced, knowing it would leave a bruise, but allowed himself to be escorted to the door.

"Damien!" He froze at the sound of his father's voice and turned. His father along with Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were hurrying over to them.

"You weren't making that up, were you?" his father whispered, shaking his head slowly. "She really did try to cast the Cruciatus on you?"

Damien nodded. "Yes, and she sent the dementors after me too."

Severus clenched his right fist but remained silent.

"Why did you wait to tell everyone this, Damien?" Dumbledore asked softly. Damien winced and bowed his head.

Severus frowned and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "That is his business, Albus," he said almost tiredly.

"Come on, boy," the ministry wizard was growing impatient as he gave squeezed Damien's arm painfully, causing him to hiss.

"If you are going to handle him like that then you will take your hands off him," Severus growled, throwing the infamous Snape glare at the young man.

"It's okay, Dad," Damien muttered, allowing the wizard to pull him toward the door that would lead to another cell.

Severus hesitated before giving him a quick hug. "It _will_ be okay," he told him softly, his eyes sincere.

Damien could only nod as his eyes burned, feeling a lump rise up in his throat as he stared at them, all of them who loved him. Ginny and Hermione were crying, Ron was looking as if he was going to faint, Dumbledore's eyes were devoid of any twinkle, and Severus looked forlorn as Damien was shoved through the door and he lost sight of his family.


	34. Chapter thirty three Freedom at Last

Hello again everyone! Sorry for the wait, there's no excuse, I know. I am  
just about finished with the last chapter (aka Epilogue) of this story.  
There will be a sequel which will probably be started after the sixth book  
comes out (yay!). I have really been neglecting my other story but thankfully, I have a lot  
more time now to write so I owe my readers of my other story many chapters.. Thanks, once again to my faithful reviewers as well as my beta, Badbugz, and  
sorry about the font, I wanted to get this out asap since I've delayed long  
enough.

Chapter thirty three- Freedom at Last

"You really shouldn't worry too much," Hermione said confidently at dinner. "what with Damien finally telling what that horrible wart did to him and all."  
"'eah," Ron agreed through a mouthful of potatoes. "It ob'ious s'nse 'e sai' i' un'er ve…veri-"  
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Ginny snapped. Ron blushed and swallowed heavily with what looked like a lot of effort.  
The Great Hall was louder then usual. It was quite obvious that those that had been present at the trial had eagerly shared what they had heard. Although it had been admitted under veritaserum that Damien was innocent, nearly every student was still positive that Damien Snape was guilty, after all, he was the son of Snape, the tormenter of all students, wasn't he?  
"You think they would have tried to stick to the truth," Hermione said furiously as a rather loud-mouthed Gryffindor walked by, surrounded by a group of awed students. Ron murmured something that sounded strangely like "traitor" as Lavender Brown whispered something to Parvati Patil, both frowning at the three Gryffindors. The three Gryffindors continued their heated conversation completely oblivious to a silent but angry discussion going on at the Teachers' Table.  
"The nerve of that woman!" McGonagall fumed to her companions as she speared her roast with a fork. "To use a blood quill on students!"  
"Do you think it is true that she was going to cast the Cruciatus on Mr. Snape?" Flitwick piped up, ignoring the rather uncharacteristic display from the normally calm and controlled transfiguration professor. "Of course it is," Severus and Dumbledore voiced in different manners. "Are you saying that my son was lying?" Severus hissed quietly to the tiny professor, acutely aware of the students that glanced up at them.  
"Now Severus," Dumbledore spoke calmly, as he had all night. "I'm sure Filius did not intend that." "Certainly not!" Flitwick exclaimed. "I just couldn't imagine why Dolores Umbridge would cast the Cruciatus on Harry Potter!"  
"Then you undeniably did not see the two of them together," McGonagall had calmed down slightly. "I could tell just by the way she spoke to him. She seemed completely positive of exactly what kind of boy Damien was before she had even laid eyes on him." She paused to take a small sip from her goblet. "Her preposterous mannerisms aren't entirely unfamiliar, unfortunately." Her gaze flickered to Severus, who winced slightly.  
"I admit that I had unfair claims against him at first," Severus said through gritted teeth as he glared daggers at the students who were quite obviously listening. "but I never, nor would I ever, do something nearly as extreme as that."  
"Of course not, Severus," Dumbledore said softly, his light blue eyes dimmed.  
"It always seems to be the defense teachers who are harmful to the students." "Yes," McGonagall agreed. "Except for…." She broke off and the table fell into a respectable silence for a few moments in which the only sounds were the normal chatter from the students and the familiar clinking of silverware.  
"Do you think she will be found guilty?" Flitwick broke the tense silence. From farther down the table Hagrid, who had been listening quietly along with the other teachers, spoke up, "Reck'in she'll fin' a way ter weasel 'er way ou' of i'."  
Most of the teachers murmured in agreement. Dumbledore remained silent, a slight frown on his wizened face. "I have a feeling, Hagrid, that she will not even take her chances with it." Severus nodded, privately agreeing to the unspoken prediction.

_ 'This is really getting quite old,'_ Damien thought as he tried unsuccessfully to tie his matted hair up with a long thread he had pulled off from his dirty robes. He had never felt so filthy and couldn't even imagine what he must look like by now. His insides squirmed slightly at the realization of the impression he must have given the Wizengamot with his tattered robes and grimy hair. _'Wonderful,'_ he said mentally. _'Yet another thing she could turn against me.'_ With his luck, Umbridge would somehow find a way to turn lack of hygiene into insanity, or enchant the crowd with a tale of it being a 'mark of a dark wizard.'  
He was debating with himself on whether or not he was going insane. He could have sworn that he heard a voice coming from the cell across from him though it was clearly empty. Damien shifted, pulling a disgusted face as his hair brushed against his cheek. Angrily, he swatted the hair back and once again tried to tie up his hair, only succeeding in breaking the delicate thread. He fumed with himself for the lack of ideas as to what exactly he could do to waste time.  
The silence suffocated him and he found himself shuffling around once again simply to create some kind of noise other then his own breathing. A moment later he tensed and held his breath, waiting, hoping to hear that voice, even if it was just a hallucination his brain had created for him.  
"Hello?" he called quietly, gripping the bars in a white-knuckled grip. He clung to the bars, desperately straining his ears in the silence. The only response he received was a soft hiss. Damien blinked rapidly. It was a snake?  
He licked his lips nervously and tried to draw up the image of the basilisk he had fought so many years ago before hissing, _"Hello?"_  
_"You sspeak our language,"_ a voice returned. _"I have only met one other who can." "Voldemort,"_ Damien agreed quietly, wondering if the snake was a spy. _"Is that what he callsss himself?"_ the unseen snake hissed back. _"Hiss name wass once Tom Riddle, wass it not?" "Yess, it was,"_ Damien answered, chewing nervously on his lower lip. He relaxed his grip on the bars and slid down to a sitting position.  
_"And you, young one, are you in allegiance to Tom Riddle?"_ the snake questioned. Damien swallowed and hesitated.  
_"No,"_ he hissed finally. The snake hissed something that Damien didn't understand, an exclamation of a sort he presumed. _"You bare hisss mark,"_ came the suspicious reply and Damien started, his hand reflexively clamping onto his left forearm, a habit he had picked up from his father. _"I do,"_ Damien said carefully. _"But I do not ssupport him."_ He mentally berated himself, knowing that his father would most certainly reprimand him for giving away such information._ "Then why do you bare hisss mark?"_ the snake demanded, sounding defensive. _"You are a sspeaker like he; why do you not ssupport him?"_  
_"I do not agree with his waysss,"_ Damien hissed back, wondering why he was talking to the snake in the first place. When the snake didn't answer, Damien quickly changed the subject._  
"What are you doing here?"  
"I have lived here for many yearsss, sspeaker,"_ the snake said smugly (Damien wondered briefly how it was possible to convey an emotion through parseltongue).  
_"I would rather not experience the outer world."  
"Why?"_ Damien questioned, feeling curious. He really had never talked to a snake before. Not that he had a desire to, but the first snake he had ever spoken to had been decent, which should have been proof in itself that not all snakes were bad. Once he had gotten to Hogwarts, he had been told simply that. Damien found it ironic that the same thing applied for Slytherins.  
_"There was a time, young one, when ssnakes were not hated so,"_ came the wistful reply.  
_"But then one day, wizardsss and witchesss, both which we ssnakes have always been on good termsss with, recognized uss as dangerous creaturess, yet they continue to use our venom for antitodesss to their pathetic troubless."_ Damien didn't know what to say to that. Creatures had always been discriminated in the Wizarding World, yet the ministry continued to make use of them. He often couldn't help but feel ashamed to be a wizard considering all of the creatures who hated them, and with good reason.  
The door banged open and Damien jumped. He heard a faint hissing noise as the snake retreated back into the confines of the cell and Damien resisted the urge to tell it good-bye. When he looked up at the intruder, Damien's first thought was that he had finally gone insane, but when Dumbledore spoke, he felt relief blossom in him, instantly warming him.  
"Damien," Dumbledore greeted gently as he bent down to Damien's level.  
"Professor," Damien croaked, unable to keep the grin from forming despite the circumstances. His grin faltered slightly.  
"Is it already time for the trial? I've only been in here for a day…"  
"Yes, I know," Dumbledore interrupted quietly.  
"But Dolores Umbridge apparently didn't want to take her chances." Damien chewed on his lip, feeling something akin to dread creeping up on him. "What do you mean?" he asked very slowly. "She has fled the country," Dumbledore said simply, his blue eyes twinkling.  
"You're joking," Damien murmured, hardly daring to believe it. "She's gone? But…but that means that we will have to continue my trial! And they will make me take veritaserum again to answer that last question!" Damien felt his mouth go dry. "Professor….I have something I need to tell you…" "That can wait," Dumbledore interrupted again. "Madame Bones has been elected as the new Mistress of Magic. She heard you're admittance under veritaserum and has given you a full pardon." Damien blinked, "What?"  
"You are free to go," Dumbledore smiled at him.  
"But….but…" Damien said weakly. Everything seemed to be going far too fast for his brain to keep up with. He shook his head, still feeling the guilt weighing upon his conscience. "Wait. I have to tell you, Professor," he said urgently. He paused for a moment and fumbled with the right words to say. "I….I tried to cast the Cruciatus on Lestrange last year at the Department of Mysteries," he blurted out, dropping his head in shame. "It didn't work, but I still tried it."  
Dumbledore stared at him with an odd expression written on his ancient face. "Well…" he began and cleared his throat. "We can discuss this later, Damien. All I am concerned about is getting you out of here."  
Damien looked at him. "But you're not going to say anything?" he asked incredulously. "I cast an Unforgivable on another human, Professor. I still want to," he whispered the last part.  
"You still want to cast the Cruciatus on Bellatrix Lestrange?" Dumbledore asked slowly, the odd look on his face intensifying. Damien flinched and nodded. "She killed Sirius and Remus, Professor. They were like an uncle and a step-father to me."  
"But Jameswas your step-father," Dumbledore said blankly and Damien stared at him in surprise. "Yeah," he said slowly. "But they were like step-fathers to me." He paused and shook his head in frustration. "Professor, is something else wrong? You are not acting like yourself…"  
"Everything is fine," Dumbledore said with a hint of impatience. "Now let's go."  
Damien couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Wouldn't Dumbledore at least be angry or even sad about his attempt on the Cruciatus? He watched numbly as the old man opened his cell door with the flick of his wand. Damien froze as he stepped out of the cell, his eyes glued to Dumbledore's wand. Didn't Dumbledore have a dark brown wand?  
"Professor," Damien began in a cautious voice. "What was it that you told me you saw in the Mirror of Erised in my first year?"  
Dumbledore turned to him, looking confused and slightly irritated. "What?" Damien didn't move; he held the bars of the cell door in a white-knuckled grip. After a few tense moments, Dumbledore smiled gently and responded, "The Wizarding World at peace, of course! Why do you ask, my boy?"  
Damien felt a weight settle in his stomach, severely hoping that his face hadn't paled. He shuffled his feet and tried to look casual. "Just a precaution," he responded with a surprising note of calm. The false-Dumbledore nodded serenely and turned to go, obviously expecting Damien to follow him. Damien took that opportunity to hiss quietly, "_Ssnake? Are you ssstill there?"_  
There was a rustling sound from somewhere in the depths of the other cell. _"Yesss, young one, what isss it that you need?"  
_ "Damien? Are you coming, child?" Damien nodded and slowly followed. He jumped in surprise when he felt a cool band coil around one of his ankles.  
_ "He iss a fraud, ssspeaker, do not follow him,"_ the snake hissed.  
_"I know,"_ he hissed out of the corner of his mouth. _"But I have no choiccce; I do not have my wand."_ He didn't hear the snakes reply as the older man turned back to him.  
"What is keeping you? Surely you will not miss this place," the fake headmaster said in an amused voice, though it was obvious he was getting impatient. "I'm not going with you," Damien blurted out, bracing himself for a barrage of spells he knew would be thrown his way. The other man's face twisted.  
"You-" He broke off abruptly and his face turned ashen as the snake, which had suddenly appeared at the base of his feet, reared back to strike.  
"Stupefy!" the fraud cried as he stumbled back away from the now petrified snake. "Culter!" he roared at Damien, who had been trying to make a run for it. He froze in his tracks as the dark blue curse hit him at full force.  
Damien collapsed onto the floor, hitting his head with a dull 'smack' on the concrete wall. He took a couple of deep breaths, trying desperately to ignore the blood seeping from a large gash that ran across his chest.  
The imposter gave him a cold look and crushed the petrified snake's head. Damien winced as he heard a serious of cracks issue. "You just couldn't make this easy, could you, Potter?" Damien flinched, hating the coldness that seeped from Dumbledore's usually kindly voice. _'It's not him,'_ he told himself. _'Dumbledore would never hurt me; it's not him._'  
He cleared his throat and spat as poisonously as he could muster, "It's Snape, you imbecile, not Potter!"  
"Our Master will be very pleased to have his heir back," the Death-Eater-in-disguise sneered, ignoring him as he raised his wand once again….  
A resounding crash interrupted the curse he was about to form and the chamber door flew off its hinges and smashed into the opposite wall. Albus Dumbledore walked in; his wrinkled face was one of absolute fury.  
"Expelliarmus!" he snapped, jabbing his wand (dark brown) at his counterpart.  
Severus hurried in, followed by, surprisingly, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. The imposter-Dumbledore backed away quickly, reacting with lightening-fast reflexes as he yanked out a dagger and lunged at Damien.  
"IMPEDIMENTA!" Severus roared and some invisible force collided with the Death Eater, who was thrown off his feet and crashed into a wall with a sickening crunch.  
_ "Severus!"_ Dumbledore admonished, but made no other move to chide the Potion's Master. Severus hurried over to his son and dropped down beside him.  
"Damien? Are you alright?" he asked gently. Damien gave him a crooked smile. "Yeah," he said breathlessly, ignoring the continuous soaking off his robes and a warm liquid trickling down his head. "I'm good."  
Severus grasped his arm and pulled him up. Damien swayed, feeling dizziness sweep over him as he collapsed in his father's arms.  
"Don't worry, Severus, it's just blood loss, I'm sure," Dumbledore said quietly as he bound the unconscious Death Eater, who turned out to be Macnair under Polyjuice. He waved his wand and a silver phoenix emerged from the tip, taking flight.  
"Is he going to be okay?" Hermione asked in a trembling voice as her professor picked the boy up and cradled him in his arms. "He'll be okay," Ginny replied confidently. "He's Damien, remember?" Damien groaned and said groggily, "Am I really free to go? Is Madame Bones still Mistress?" Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Damien, she is and you are, after much persuading of the Wizengamot, I'm sure." Damien sighed almost contentedly and lost consciousness.  
A/N- Thanks and please review! 


	35. Epilogue The Strangest Year

Yes, yes, I know it's a few days late! Once again thanks to all my reviewers. This story is now AU if you haven't already guessed too.

**Okay, I read the sixth book in a day and was very disappointed. I felt that her writing style was completely different and that it was terribly rushed; did it seem that way to you?**

This is the very last chapter of 'The Secret' so enjoy!

Epilogue- The Strangest Year

Damien Snape stared out onto the vast grounds of Hogwarts from his position in the Astronomy Tower. A mist had settled over the grounds, giving the air a chill despite the rising sun. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, resting his head on his knees as he gazed longingly out into the Quidditch Pitch where the Gryffindor team was currently practicing. He had finally returned to school a few weeks ago, but still couldn't help feeling detached from those around him.

The constant whispers continued to follow him and he had realized that no matter what he did, or who he was, they always would. It was with great relief that things were finally getting back to normal…for him that is. As if a weight had been lifted from his chest with the final revelation of he being Harry Potter, Damien felt he could actually breath again. No more secrets; no more lies, thank God.

At least….for the time being.

But alas, he was Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and he knew that his life could never stay calm for more then a couple months. Hopefully, the rest of his sixth year would be better then it had been. Ever since Christmas his school life had gone straight down the hole, and he was almost to the point of begging for everything to be quiet again.

Gryffindor, Damien thought vaguely, seemed to have a more relaxed atmosphere to it then Slytherin. He hadn't even realized how much he had missed the comfortable chatter of the common room. His housemates were still very weary of him, with an exception of a few of his close friends, Neville included.

Dumbledore had pulled him out of the Slytherin house and placed him back into Gryffindor, much to his father's displeasure. But even Severus had to admit that Damien would probably be much safer in Gryffindor, though Damien hated leaving Draco alone with no one else but Pansy (who wasn't on very good terms with any Slytherins lately either).

Sometimes he couldn't help but hate the world, with its closed-minded, shallow people that lived within it. Draco was being treated five times worse despite the fact that Dumbledore had admitted under veritaserum that he was a spy for the Order along with Lucius Malfoy, which had taken a good portion of the last week to convince the Wizengamot of his innocence. The Order only had one spy left, and that was Cho Chang, who still hadn't returned to school. Damien felt a touch of sympathy for her, and had to admire her bravery; she should have been a Gryffindor.

"Damien!" Ginny called, hurrying up the stone steps to him. Damien jerked out of his daze instantly.

"Is Quidditch practice over already?"

"Yeah, luckily," Ginny said breathlessly as she sat down beside him. Her red hair was in a mass of curls, giving her a windblown look. "I'm trying to convince Katie to let you rejoin the team," she went on, looking rather sour. "But…well, you know people…"

"Yes," Damien murmured absently as his eyes glazed in thought. To many Gryffindors, and more then a little students from the other houses, he was still a Slytherin, and a Death Eater despite what Dumbledore had said. Damien couldn't help but shiver at the thought that almost no one seemed to trust Dumbledore completely anymore; it was a terrifying to think of what would become of the Wizarding World now.

"You okay?" Ginny asked gently, her dark eyes staring at him calculatingly.

"Yes," Damien repeated in the same tone of voice as he continued to stare out into the grounds of Hogwarts.

Ginny sighed mentally, but said nothing. She knew, as much as it pained her to admit this, that Damien's mental state was very fragile. Madame Pomfrey had informed the headmaster of that after she had healed him from his incident with the imposter-Dumbledore. Her heart ached for the boy beside her. He had been through so much and the year wasn't even over. They still had almost half a semester to go.

They were supposed to be cautious about what they said around Damien, and Ginny hated how the nurse had stated it. Madame Pomfrey seemed to be treating Damien like a ticking bomb about to go off, or flare out completely, both which could be very dangerous.

Damien rarely spent any time with anyone other then Ron, Hermione, Draco, Pansy, Neville, his father and her. It was strange; Damien seemed so different and yet he still acted like the same person. It was as if he had matured twenty years overnight and she almost felt like a little girl around him again, gazing into those emerald green eyes filled with such a wisdom that one so young should never have the ability to posses. He was much quieter, that was for sure, and his laugh was different, most of the time sounding rather forced. She couldn't think of one time that his smiles had reached his eyes since he had returned to school.

Remus Lupin's death still weighed heavily upon Damien's conscious, and she knew that he blamed himself for the werewolf's death. All throughout the memorial the school had held for him the day before, Damien had said not a word to anyone, not even his own father. He had remained especially taciturn since then. She briefly wondered if it was because of the werewolf's death that he was so delicate, or if it was because of the time he had spent with You-Know-Who (she just couldn't bring herself to say _that_ name regularly). She suspected the former though, since Draco wasn't nearly as remote as Damien had been lately.

"There's going to be a party in the common room for the upcoming Quidditch finals," she told him, unable to keep the hope that filled her eyes. Maybe Damien would actually go; maybe he would start to heal a little if he started talking to his other classmates again. And maybe they wouldn't be so shallow about him if he spoke to them.

Damien frowned. "I don't know," he said uncertainly and her heart sank.

She shifted, trying not to look too disappointed or worried. "Why not?"

He continued to look out onto the grounds, and Ginny fought the urge to grab his chin and force him to look at her. "I've just…..got a lot of homework to do," he said sheepishly.

Ginny arched an eyebrow. "Homework?" she repeated in a disbelieving voice. "You are using homework as an excuse to not go to a party."

"It's not an excuse," Damien murmured absently as he watched the proceedings of the Whomping Willow, which was currently trying to squash a few owls that were teasing it. "I really have a lot of work to do. There's a transfiguration essay I have to finish."

"You, Hermione, and Ron finished it with Draco and Pansy in the library the day before yesterday," Ginny said coolly. "Try again."

Damien shrugged, but looked a bit uncomfortable. "Well….I'm re-checking it."

"And that is going to take hours?" Ginny asked bitingly.

"I've also got a potion's essay I need to do," Damien said defensively, chewing on his lower lip nervously as he turned his eyes to the sky.

Ginny scowled and clenched her right fist tightly. She was surprised to feel sadness mixed with her anger as she observed the once outgoing and vivacious young man beside her. "You don't have potions until the day after tomorrow," she spoke in a very quiet voice though it shook with silent distress.

"Dad asked me to come over and do my homework with him in his rooms since I haven't really talked to him lately," Damien replied with a sigh.

"If you don't want to go, Damien, then please just say so," Ginny snapped, standing up. "I just thought it might be nice for you to actually converse with the rest of humanity before you went insane and walled up your heart like Snape once did."

Damien's brow furrowed in bewilderment. "What-"

"By the way," Ginny interrupted, heading for the staircase. "It was Professor Snape who gave us permission to have the party; he thought that it would be good for you to try and open up to people, something you haven't done since Valentine's Day." She turned and headed down the stone steps, straining her ears to hear any protest or complaint from Damien as she left. He didn't, and her heart gave a painful twinge.

She noticed that during their whole conversation that he hadn't even looked at her once.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

"I suggest that each of you at least try and take the time to do something to raise your pathetic grades in here," Snape glowered at his sixth year NEWT class. "Next year is your final and last year. You will be taking the NEWT's, which, as far as I can see, will not go well with you lot." He paused as his eyes fell on Damien, who was staring down into his cauldron with a contemplative look on his face.

"Then again," he struggled to go on. "I was rather surprised that some of you have improved rather well this year."

The class stayed silent. No one seemed at all fazed by the Potion Master's rather out of character complement. They knew that if they showed any surprise whatsoever, it would probably lead up to a rather scathing comment that would immediately sour the rare commend.

Severus tore his eyes away from Damien and turned to Neville Longbottom instead, who shifted under his scrutiny. In all honesty, the boy had surprised him this year. Obviously, he had had some tutoring from Granger or someone, possibly Damien. Not to say that the boy received grades on the ranking of Damien or Granger, but he had been passing with adequate potions.

"You are to review all of the sleeping draughts that we have studied this year including Dreamless Sleep, Draught of Living Death, Sleep-Restorative, the Eternal Rest, and the common Sleeping Potion. I want a three-foot essay on the similarities and differences between these five potions. Due Monday, class dismissed," he barked and they scattered, the majority complaining about the enormity of the assignment he had given.

"Mr. Snape," he called as Damien attempted to leave with Draco, Granger, Weasley, and Longbottom, each who seemed to almost be forming a wall around him as if to protect him from the scornful comments they knew he would receive as soon as he stepped out the classroom door.

Damien didn't seem to notice his friends' actions as he wearily told them to go without him. Hermione and Ron seemed especially cautious to leave him, but, with a glare from their Potion's Master, they unwillingly left as well.

"Sit down, Damien," Severus told him wearily after the last student had filed out. Damien sat obediently.

"It has come to my attention that you are not going to the party tonight," Severus began as he seated himself at his desk and observed the boy in front of him.

Damien was looking at his hands with vague interest and nodded slowly. "Yes, sir," he murmured properly.

Severus winced at formality and sighed. "I told you that you didn't have to call me 'sir' in private," he reminded Damien almost gently.

"Of course, Professor."

Severus closed his eyes and massaged his forehead, taking in a deep breath. He looked up to see that Damien was still observing his hands silently.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked bluntly, not bothering to warm his voice.

Damien flinched and flicked an invisible piece of lint off his robes. "Nothing," he finally raised his head to meet his father's inscrutable gaze. "Why?"

"_Why?_" his father repeated softly.

Damien stared at the man in confusion. "Is something wro-"

"Don't try to play innocent with me, Damien," Severus snapped unexpectedly.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I am talking about, young man." Severus narrowed his eyes at Damien. "What has happened to you?" he asked in a weak voice. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Acting like what?" Damien looked genuinely confused, but Severus knew too well when his son was lying.

"You _know_ what!" Severus snarled, slamming his fist onto the desk.

Damien jumped and stared at the man in surprise.

"Why have you been so indifferent lately? You have barely talked to anyone since you have gotten back to school and when you do, you are so closed up! What is going on? You weren't even acting like this at your trial. What has changed since then? _What_?"

Severus demanded, leaning across the desk to look his son in the eye.

Damien tore his gaze away from his father and remained silent.

Severus scrutinized the boy in front of him before his obsidian eyes softened. "Listen," he began gently, making his way around the desk to kneel beside Damien's chair. "You need to open up more, Damien. I have no idea why you are acting so cool to everyone-" Damien arched an eyebrow, "-but you need to talk to someone….._anyone_."

When the boy continued to remain soundless, Severus huffed exasperatedly. "I know that you just lost Remus but, Damien, if you keep this locked up inside of you; if you isolate yourself from your friends and your family then it will eat you up. You have to talk to someone," Severus told him expressively. "It will kill you if you let these feelings consume you. Remus wouldn't want you to separate yourself from your friends and I. He wouldn't want you to think of his death as being your fault. And neither he, nor Lily and James, died just so you would let yourself suffocate under the pressure of their deaths."

He gripped the boy's chin and forced Damien to look up at him. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but please do _something_ with your friends; cut classes," Severus pleaded softly. "Pull pranks," he shook his head violently and exclaimed, "_Get into trouble_ for all I care! Just do _anything _other then sit here and drown yourself in your homework while your friends move on without you. That's what I did, Damien, do you want to end up like me?"

Damien lowered his head and mumbled a silent reply.

"Excuse me?"

The boy closed his eyes and murmured in a small voice, "No."

Severus heaved a sigh, mentally thanking Merlin that he had gotten something out of the boy. "Then why do you continue to put yourself and everyone around you through this? You know how much it hurts your friends when you ignore them and they are just trying to cheer you up."

Damien's shoulders tensed. "I know," he whispered. "But, I just…"

"Just what?" Severus probed softly.

Damien let out a breath. "I dunno…I just feel separated from them." He raised his haunted green eyes to that of his father. "Nothing's ever going to be the same again….ever."

"Of course it won't," Severus agreed in what he hoped to be a soothing voice. "You have been through much more then they will ever experience, but that doesn't mean that you can't see them anymore."

"It feels so different though," Damien murmured.

Severus shrugged, silently wishing that there was more he could do for the boy. "Then you will just have to adjust to it. Just like you did in your fourth and fifth year. You are stronger then them, Damien. They wouldn't be able to handle what you've been through."

Damien nodded slowly. "No, they wouldn't." He flinched at the thought of Ginny or Hermione going through what he had. They seemed far too fragile and tender to experience what he had, as if they were porcelain dolls that could easily break.

"Then you don't want them to have to go through that would you?"

"No, of course not," Damien sighed. "They…they'd die; all of them. Even Ron and Draco. They couldn't survive it."

"Then you have to be strong. For them, Damien, be strong." Merlin he hated putting this on his son's shoulders but it needed to be said. Damien needed to go on with his life.

Damien nodded, staring down at his hands. "But….why me?" he pleaded softly, not at all liking how his voice sounded almost like a whine.

"Because you are stronger then the rest of us, Damien," his father responded with surprising gentleness. Damien stared at the man in surprise.

"Us?"

"Yes. Everyone. The Wizarding World, your friends, me, and even Dumbledore."

Damien slowly shook his head. "No. I'm not stronger then you, and certainly not Dumbledore. I could never duel the way you do."

"You don't have to, Damien," Severus told him, smiling slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Severus sighed. "Your strength is in your heart, Damien, no matter how corny that sounds. It does not matter how many spells you can cast or how fast you are, only the will to carry on, the determination you have to protect those you love; that is true power, Damien. Something that the Dark Lord knows nothing about, which makes him exceedingly weak to you."

Damien still looked doubtful. "If you say so…" He trailed off disbelievingly, sounding almost like his old self again.

This time Severus smiled completely. "In time, you will realize how powerful you truly are, Damien. And when learn how to wield that power, you will be stronger then Dumbledore and the Dark Lord," Severus told him confidently. He knew it to be true. Many times during Occlumency, or just in the presence of Damien, his son seemed to radiate with a power that simply amazed Severus. It was as if the boy was pure, untainted, despite all that he had been through. He knew that it was just a taste of the "power the Dark Lord knows not" that Damien possessed.

"Now, go to that party," Severus commanded, straightening up. "It should start right after classes if I'm correct. Merlin, I'm starting to sound like Albus."

Damien's lips twitched. "You should stop talking to me so much then, because I'm positive that I've never heard you sound so wise in the presence of others."

"I will do no such thing," Severus retorted. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

Damien smiled. "I wouldn't dare." He stood up. "Bye, Dad."

&&&&&&&&&&&

"Y'know Malfoy," Ron slurred, swaying as he sauntered over to the blonde. "You're one o' my beeest friends!" He declared as he put an arm on the boy's shoulders. "I love ya…" he sniffed, sounding touched.

Hermione looked highly scandalized as she stared over at her boyfriend with a disgruntled look. "Whose idea was it exactly to bring three bottles of firewhiskey?" she hissed furiously, careful to keep her voice low due to the late hour.

"Ron's," Ginny and Damien responded at the same time, watching, with amusement, as Ron tried to get a rather tipsy Draco to sing 'These Three Kings' with him.

"But it not Chri'mas, Weasley!" Draco sounded highly affronted. "You….you _can't _just sing Christmas songs without it bein' Christmas!"

"For some reason, I never could imagine Draco Malfoy as being able to hold his drink well," Ginny mused, throwing a smirk over at the brooding girl in the corner.

"Oh, shut up. If you haven't noticed, your brother isn't exactly holding his," Pansy snapped, though she sounding merely irritated and tired. "Why did we even come? This is a damn Gryffindor party!"

"Though' you'd like the free firewhiskey," Ron said suddenly, stumbling beside the girl. "Don' you like firewhiskey?" he shook a half-empty bottle under her nose.

"Good Lord! You're breath smells terrible," Pansy shoved him away. "And don't hit me with that bottle!"

"Aw, Pans, why would 'e do that?" Draco asked, not slurring as much as Ron but still swaying dangerously. She stood up, narrowly dodging the empty bottle he was carrying.

Damien watched them quietly, simply content with being entertained. He himself held a small cup of the offending drink, which had come from the third bottle he, Ginny, and Pansy were sharing (Hermione was positively insulted when they offered some to her). He had stayed off to the sidelines with the other two Slytherins all throughout the party feeling as unwelcome, if not more so, as Pansy and Draco. They had only started to really have fun when Ron had revealed his stash of firewhiskey. Damien was clueless to how, exactly, the redhead had obtained it though he had a feeling that it had something to do with a certain pair of twins….

He took a small sip of the firewhiskey, nearly choking as it scorched his throat. At first when he had tried it, he had hated the burning, almost itchy feeling the drink gave him, but he was getting used to it and couldn't help but enjoy the unusual feeling.

A moment later, he spat out what he had left in his mouth when Draco broke into song. Apparently, Ron had finally convinced him that it was okay to sing Christmas songs when it wasn't Christmas. Ginny busted out laughing, and Pansy snorted. Even Hermione's lips twitched slightly. She was drinking a butterbeer.

Ron joined in after a few verses and the two seemingly 'best friends' clung to one another as they sang at the top of their lungs, sounding horribly in comparison to nails on a chalkboard, a beautiful pair of idiots.

Damien couldn't restrain the grin that filtered onto his face. Everything seemed perfectly peaceful as of now. Mainly because every Gryffindor had gone to bed, and they had the common room to themselves, but also because of his friends' rather sad attempts to cheer him up, though it was in a good way. He knew that Ron and Draco being drunk and singing together like old war-buddies probably wasn't part of the plan, but it worked.

He had been rather surprised when he had returned to Hogwarts to find Draco, shame-faced and abashed, muttering something about how Damien should have been originally sorted into Slytherin. Damien knew that Draco, as well as Pansy felt rather embarrassed, and more then a little angry at him. He was, after all, Harry Potter, someone they had hated for five years. But it had been strange, all Draco had said was that the Slytherin version of Damien suited Harry Potter better then the annoying, heroic, Gryffindorish Potter, though, unfortunately, the tendency to land himself in dangerous, life-sake situations was the same. They really hadn't talked about Damien's true identity that much. It was almost as if Draco saw it as a fair punishment that the whole school, once again, hated Damien. Or maybe it was just the fact that misery likes company, and Draco knew that Damien was one of the only people who didn't hate him.

He was torn from his musings when Ron burst into tears, bawling about how much he loved Hermione even though he was still clinging to Draco, who was looking a bit dazed, obviously starting to sober up. He turned away from the seen and snorted. His father had yet to teach them to brew a hangover-curing potion. Tomorrow was going to be rough.

"To Harry Potter!" Draco exclaimed suddenly. "The best damn rival in the wizarding world!" He stumbled over to Damien and seized his shoulders, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. A moment later Ron joined in too.

"Get your hands off me, I have no reason to act like this," Damien hissed, shoving them off of him. They went tumbling to the floor in a mess of robes.

"Have the rest of my firewhiskey then, Harry," Ron demanded woozily, flinging the bottle at Damien from where he was sprawled on the floor.

Damien dodged the bottle and it hit the stone wall, exploding immediately upon impact and spraying a wave of amber liquid.

"Oh for goodness sakes, Ron!" Hermione snapped, yanking out her wand to do a quick repairing and cleansing charm.

"Relax, Hermione," Ginny said, grinning down at her brother, who seemed incapable of standing up on his own. "They're just having a bit of fun."

"Well they should have fun after exams are over!"

"Exams aren't for weeks," Damien said lazily. "Besides, this isn't an end-of-the year-party, it's a quidditch party."

"Besides, they will learn their lesson with the hang-over they'll probably get in the morning," Ginny told her soothingly.

Hermione bristled. "You should be studying for OWL's, Ginny."

"One part of preparing for exams is that you need to relax," Ginny said calmly, leaning leisurely over the arm of the couch so she was hanging off.

"I think you've had a bit too much firewhisky, Ginny," Hermione chided.

"I haven't done this in years!" Ginny giggled, teetering dangerously off the edge. Damien quickly grabbed her arm and jerked her back.

"Maybe we should call it a night," Hermione sighed.

"Not until Draco's sober," Pansy grumbled moodily.

"You're obviously not a night person," Ginny laughed. Pansy glared at her.

"You might have to sleep in the common room," Damien spoke up quietly.

Pansy arched an eyebrow challengingly. "Why is that?"

"Because Draco just passed out."

&&&&&&&&&&&&

The morning sun was just rising when Damien woke up. He had no idea what had woken him up as he didn't have any classes and he had gotten to sleep probably around two in the morning.

It had happened quite often since he had arrived back to school. He'd simply wake up with a strange feeling of foreboding as well as an aching feeling of loss, in which he'd immediately think of Sirius and Remus, of the Marauders, of his mother. It was strange how he suddenly began to think of them so much.

It was as if every spare moment alone was spent thinking of them. He thought back to the pictures of his parents that his father had given to him for Christmas, as well as the photo album Hagrid had given him. And as he stared at them, so young and innocent, the exact same age as him, he began to realize that he, like his parents, could only have a short few years to live. It was odd to look at their cheery, laughing, and, in his father's case, brooding faces that had not yet experienced the horrors that awaited them.

How could it be possible that in a few short years, two of them would be dead, one would be in Azkaban, one a traitor, and the other two living as if they were dead? It made him wonder; would his children look back at pictures of Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and him and think the exact same thing in twenty years time? What if he wasn't able to defeat Voldemort; would the world simply fall into darkness for eternity if he was the only one who could defeat him?

Damien felt the warm spring breeze wash over him as he stepped out into the Astronomy Tower to watch the sun continue to rise. What if his own child would be the next destined one to defeat Voldemort if he couldn't? Damien felt a chill go down his spine at the thought. In his mind came the picture of an emerald-eyed young girl with fiery red hair and a temper to match it. Damien felt his lips twitch t the thought, but quickly sobered. He _had_ to defeat Voldemort; there were no if, ands, or buts about it. He had to annihilate the monster without any source of regeneration.

It was probably the first time that Damien had actually accepted the fact that he had to kill Voldemort. He was no longer a little boy anymore, a far cry from the innocent little Gryffindor who had been determined to find adventure in Hogwarts that he had been in his first year. Those days were gone forever, and Damien felt an ache in his heart at the idea of never being able to be innocent again, never able to be pure, to be _free_! Without the constant pressure of the war on his shoulders, knowing that the Ministry, or the Order, would destroy the rising evil before he would grow into manhood…

Well, he had always wanted to be treated like an adult and now that he was, he just yearned for his youth again, for his long hours of exploring the castle after curfew with his two best friends by his side, for his hours he spent working into the night on a homework assignment, for the careless times he'd spend with Ron, making up predictions for Trelawney while Hermione huffed in the background. He briefly wondered, with amusement, what Hermione had done with SPEW.

"Hey, there you are!" Hermione's voice floated through his ears and he smiled, not knowing why. "We've been looking for you, everywhere, you know," she said conversationally, sitting beside him to gaze out onto the sunbathed grounds.

"'We?'" Damien asked, turning around to see Ron slowly trudging up the stairs after Hermione with a pale face and an icepack on his head.

"Not so loud," the redhead groaned and Hermione bristled.

"You have no right to say that Ronald Weasley!" she snapped and Ron winced, grunting as he pressed the icepack harder onto his head. "You should have known not to ingest so much alcohol! Honestly, you're a prefect! You have people that look up to you!"

Damien smiled as he watched Hermione plow Ron into the ground, wincing for Ron's sake as her voice rose.

"She's got a point, mate," he said quietly, but Ron was too tired to muster up enough energy to glare at him.

"Just please give me a potion, 'Mione, please," Ron begged pathetically and Damien bit his lip to keep from laughing. Hermione sighed overdramatically.

"You need to learn you're lesson not to-"

"I have, I have!" Ron pleaded. "Come on, Draco got one!"

Hermione pinned him with a fierce glare before digging into her pocket.

Ron brightened. "Thank you, 'Mione! Merlin, thank you!"

But Hermione didn't pull out a potion. Instead, she held up what looked like a Filibuster Firework invented by the Weasley twins. Ron paled even more as Hermione gave her wand a small flick and lit it.

A small series of deafening cracks went off, followed by a blinding array of lights. Ron practically howled, clenching his eyes tightly shut with his fingers stuffed in his ears.

"Hermione!" he wailed piteously.

Hermione swept her bushy hair back smugly. "There," she said softly. "Now you've learned you're lesson." She dug into her backpack and fished out a violet potion and threw it at Ron, who caught it with the tips of his fingers and downed it immediately.

"When you get your first hangover, don't come running to me!" Ron snarled after the potion began to take affect.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "I won't need to because I'm not stupid enough to drink that much and if I did, I'd make a Hangover-Curing potion _before_ I got intoxicated." She sniffed indignantly. "And don't you _ever_ try to make a potion when you have a hangover! Professor Snape would have a field day if he knew!"

Ron blanched again. "He…you're not going to tell him are you?"

"I should, you know! You only had to endure a hangover for a couple of hours; I should have let you suffer," Hermione said coolly.

"Give him a break, Hermione," Damien spoke up, and his two friends jumped in surprise, no doubt forgetting that he was there. He was smiling a true, genuine smile; one that he seemed to have forgotten how to do since Christmas. But he honestly couldn't help but feeling cheerful, feeling as if the old times were almost real again as he listened to his two best friends bicker.

There was something about Ron and Hermione that no one, not Ginny, not Draco or Pansy, not even his father could do. They had been there for him ever since the beginning, before the war, and had stuck by him during the rising as only true friends could. And he knew when he looked back on his childhood memories, his fonder ones would always point to Ron and Hermione. They had been with him when he had learned about the wizarding world, when he had learned about Lord Voldemort, when he had learned about Sirius, and finally, when he had learned about his father. He knew weeks, months, or years from now, when he was at long last facing Voldemort; he'd immediately remember the times before the war, remember how he had once been a child of eleven, twelve, and thirteen, Ron and Hermione with him, _always_ with him. He knew that an unspoken, imperishable bond had formed between the three of them. They would follow him wherever he went, regardless of what anyone, even Dumbledore advised.

As they stared at him, waiting for him to say something, it suddenly hit him how strong their friendship was. This past year had proved that nothing would ever break apart their closeness, and Damien felt warmth blossom from within him. He would survive with the strength of the two people in front of him. As long as they were with him, he knew everything was going to be okay.

"My father's a bit harsh," he said after a moment passed. "Why don't we just feed him to the snakes?" He smirked at the oblique comment to Draco and Pansy.

"Strange, that threat once would have terrified me," Ron said faintly, shaking his head. "Merlin, this year's been strange."

Damien smiled wanly.

"Strange?" Hermione said incredulously. "Is that all you can say this year has been?"

"It has been our most changing year," Ron said with a small smile.

"Yes," Damien agreed. "It has been. The war is finally began to rise and I doubt it has yet to reach it's highlight." His eyes glazed momentarily as his thoughts wandered to the people who had sacrificed so much for him. James, his mother, Sirius, and Remus…

"There will be more deaths," Hermione stated quietly, gazing at Damien wonderingly.

Remus's death was still raw on his mind. He wouldn't let Remus die in vain. Bellatrix Lestrange, Damien felt an unmistakable loathing for her, even more then he did for Voldemort. She would pay. He would make her pay before she could get to his father. An alarmingly powerful burst of rage shot through him, leaving him feeling dazed and overwhelmed at the enormity of it. His eyes darkened for a moment before he could smother down the raw hatred. Last year he would have never felt this much hatred for one being.

Damien nodded jerkily. "Yes," he whispered. "There will be more deaths, many more…" He trailed off before turning back to look at them. "But we can't let them die in vain."

Ron grinned, finally sitting down on the other side of Damien. "Gryffindor true and true are you?"

Damien smiled. "There is a fine line between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and I have always been teetering on it." He grew serious again. "Remus…Sirius…everyone whose ever died in the first or second world; their deaths will not be futile, we'll make sure of that."

"Yes, we will," Hermione said solemnly.

Ron nodded. "Yeah…..but, you know the idea that you're Snape's son still gets to me."

Damien arched an eyebrow. "Are you ever going to accept it?"

The redhead made a face. "No," he said plainly. "But I'll endure it….for your sake."

Damien smiled and looked out onto the bright grounds of Hogwarts. His home…his only home. Hogwarts was almost like a best friend to him.

Hermione stood. "We've missed breakfast. Ginny and Draco are going to be rather angry."

"They'll deal with it," Ron said lazily, but he also stood up. "Come on, mate."

Damien smiled at them, taking the hand that Hermione held out. He turned to look at the grounds for moment. In his mind's eye he saw himself walking up the stone steps with a group of first years to make his first step into Hogwarts as Damien Snape; he saw Ron, Hermione, and himself talking quietly in a secluded part of the grounds to avoid being seen by Draco Malfoy; he saw Ginny and himself walking in the gardens, holding hands as they spoke about the future; he saw his father, Draco, and him sneaking away in broad daylight to apparate to a Death Eater meeting; he saw himself being drug into a Ministry carriage to be carted off to Azkaban; he saw Remus and his father bickering incessantly while he struggled to keep the Invisibility Cloak on them as they snuck to Hogsmeade; finally, he saw his father half-carrying him back into Hogwarts after being released from the Ministry with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny gazing at him anxiously, and Draco hurrying out to confront them.

"You coming, mate?" Ron's voice broke through his reminiscences.

Damien nodded slowly, turning back to his friends. "Yeah," he said in a calm voice.

His father's face flashed before his eyes. A year ago he had hated the man as much as he had hated Draco and Pansy. "You were right, Ron."

"'Bout what?"

"This year has been strange."

He would have never thought that so much could have changed all because of one secret.

The End (for now)

A/N- Yes, it is over! It's finally over! #sobs!#

This story has been a pleasure writing. I thank everyone who has reviewed and if you haven't throughout this entire story, then would you review at least once to tell me what you thought.

There will be a sequel. I have plenty ideas but it won't start until after I get 'To be a Werewolf' back under control.

Thanks to everyone who has stuck with it. I will be re-vamping the earlier chapters with better grammar and more detail. Nothing big is going to change so you don't have to reread it or anything.

Anyways, so I take my leave for now.

#bows#

Bye!


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